The Matrix Effect
by unity9
Summary: Imagine what if the Human/Machine war ended with a truce and humans merged with the machines only to find a Mass Relay many years later. Read as humans explore this relay and find out where this rabbit hole will take them.
1. Chapter 1

**_A/N:_**_ This is my first ever fanfic so take it easy on me if mistakes are found._

_This is a cross-over of The Matrix and the Mass Effect series.  
_

* * *

**THE MATRIX EFFECT**

**CHAPTER 1**

**EARTH**

**EMERGENCE ACADEMY**

**JUNE 15, 2163**

A boy no older than fifteen years of age walks into a plain white room. The room didn't have windows yet the image of a large screen present along with a desk and chair facing the screen. To the left was a solid white chair that swiveled away facing the blank wall.

"Sit." The voice said and from that command the boy pulled up the chair, sat down, and awaited the next order. "Now say your first and last name followed by your age for the record."

"John Shepard. Fifteen years of age." The boy answered with instinctive discipline.

The chair swiveled around and the chair was occupied by what appeared to be an elderly gentleman. The man had a white hair and a beard match. He wore what appears to be a grayish three piece suit. "Welcome John Shepard. I am the Architech of the Matrix. Soon will be your day of emergence, but as required you and each of your fellow students must individually take the final test before you are released from the Matrix. Are you ready for your test?"

"Yes, Architech." John answered clearly.

"Very well." The Architech paused as he looks at the screen. "This test is to brief you on what you have learned since you were a child growing up here in the academy. Pass the test and you will be ready to emerge into the world. The questions will be placed on the screen and the answers will be responded by the sound of your voice. Are you ready?"

"Yes, Architech." John answered again.

"Then let us begin." The Architech pulls out a thin remote and taps on the red light.

The screen lit up with black and hazy images for a moment, and then the image turned blank. Then a simple luminescent green letters appeared on the screen.

**Greetings: Shepard, John. Are you ready to begin?**

"Yes."

**Recite the Architech Verse.**

_"In the beginning, there was man. And for a time, it was good. But humanity's so-called civil societies soon fell victim to vanity and corruption. Then man-made the machine in his own likeness. Thus did man become the architect of his own... magnitude."_

**Correct. What was the purpose of the creation of the machines?**

"To function as servants and build massive constructions projects."

**Correct. What machine was the first to gain self-awareness?**

"B1-66ER."

**Correct. After the exile of machines and human sympathizers, what was the creation of the machine's first nation?**

"Zero One."

**Correct. What was the first reaction of the United Nations when Zero One tried to ease the Economic Crisis peacefully, but was refused a seat in the U.N."**

"The U.N. attacked in a series of nuclear carpet bombing campaigns."

**Correct. When war followed and the machines conquered every human nation surrounding Zero One, can you explain what happened in the events of 2095?**

"Operation Dark Storm, which aims to cut the machines off from the sun, their primary energy source. The plan is executed with high altitude bombers dispersing sky-darkening nanomachines into the air, while the human armies simultaneously launch a ground offensive against the machine forces. The plan is initially successful, although many of the human nations' long-range weapons systems are also disabled by the lack of sunlight. With their high-tech weapons rendered useless, human commanders are forced to launch close-quarters infantry engagements, supported by electromagnetic artillery fire and armored assaults using atomic-tanks and powered armor. Heavy losses are taken on both sides, but the Machines gradually gain the upper hand."

**Correct. To support the lack of solar power, what did the machines do to find a new source of power?**

"To make up for the lack of solar power, the machines begin capturing human prisoners and using their bodies to power large biomechanical tanks. This was then used to power many other areas to help the machines gain the advantage."

**Correct. The war ended in a truce. Explain why.**

"The same group of humans that sympathized with the machines from the beginning captured the same scientists that created the Dark Storm project and forced the scientists to give up their knowledge of Dark Strom. The conclusion was peace and removing the nanomachines in the atmosphere…in exchange of allowing machines to merge with humans. After the Great Synthesis of 2102, 8 billion humans became _homo-machinists_. Not all humans complied with the merging of machines and humans, so space exploration came afterward."

**Correct. What was the purpose of space exploration after the war?**

"To continue the exploration of space and reconnect with the colonies on the moon and on Mars. A move to satisfy the demands of the natural humans to rejoin other natural born humans on other worlds."

**Correct. What events followed on Mars, when attempts to terra-form the planet, was discovered in 2148?**

"The artifacts of a race known as the Protheans were discovered. It gave knowledge and technical advancement to the homo-machinists race. The ruins introduced technology called Mass Effect."

**Correct. What was discovered outside the orbit of the planet Pluto in 2149?**

"Another Prothean artifact, known as a Mass Effect relay."

**Correct. Explain the function of the relay.**

"The relay gave ships the ability to travel faster than the speed of light and the first trip took an exploration crew to the Arcturus System, 35.5 light years away."

**Correct. Explain the First Contact war.**

"It was humanity's first contact with an alien species known as turians. The Turian Hierarchy responded to the activation of a Mass Relay outside the Shanxi-Theta System by invading the colony of Shanxi. The Hierarchy gained considerable advantage over the newly formed Systems Alliance. After a month of fighting, the Hierarchy gained control of all the cities on the planet and forced the remaining Alliance forces to flee into the mountains and forests. Help arrived when Alliance Dreadnaughts decimated the turian forces with advanced weaponry."

**Correct.** _The image on the screen turned into a picture of what looked like large twin cannons attached to opposite ends of the Dreadnaughts._ **What are these weapons?**

"The Nebuchadnezzar Ion Cannons or the NI cannons as they are commonly called. It was far superior to what the Hierarchy had and the pulse cut through their armor like a hammer breaking glass."

**Correct. When did official cease-fire begin?**

"Shortly after we received contact from the Citadel to end hostilities between the Systems Alliance and the Turian Hierarchy."

**Correct. What happened after the events of the First Contact War? Please explain.  
**  
"Humanity was invited to join the Citadel Council Races, but respectively refused on the grounds of the Citadel Convention that prohibit the creation of Artificial Intelligence and would force the Systems Alliance to restrict themselves since humanity is a human-machine hybrid species. The Alliance was allowed to have an embassy on the Citadel to maintain contact with the three high ranking species known as the Asari, the Turians, and the Salarians. The Alliance was allowed to link its economy with the Council's currency system, yet the Alliance is granted to govern our own area of the galaxy."

**Correct. Congratulations. All 16 questions have been answered correctly.**

Shepard contained his pride as he answered all of the questions correctly. Showing any form of emotion during a training session or a test is strictly forbidden. Emotional outbursts are considered harmful and counter-act the training he must learn from childhood to his coming adulthood. However, showing emotion is not forbidden during meal, recreational and private times.

The Architech sat and stared at the screen. He turned off the screen and stood from his seat. "Stand up, Shepard and face me at attention." Shepard complied with the order. "If I were human, which I am not, I would be showing the impression of pomp and circumstance. You answered the questions correctly and I want to let you know now that you are going to graduate from this academy. I understand that both your parents are in the Alliance Navy, am I right?"

"Yes, sir." Shepard adds.

"Glad to hear that." The Architech said. "I am also aware that you have plans of joining the Alliance Military yourself, but not as an enlisted serviceman. You're going to the Alliance Military academy after your Emergence Day?"

"Yes, sir." Shepard said.

"That's why I'm going to put in a letter of recommendation to the academy for your acceptance." The Architech said. "You are guaranteed to get in with my endorcement."

* * *

_An endorsement from the Architech himself_. Shepard could barely contain his excitement before entering his dormitory. As soon as he was behind his door, he threw his fists in the air and made a silent scream in victorious triumph. A new life begins behind these walls once he leaves the Emergence Academy…if one could say these walls as he knows all too well that he wasn't in a physical realm of existence. It did remind him to check on his computer screen and check out his own status. He watched himself as he really is… inside a pink colored pod and he can make out the silhouette of the body which is his.

"Soon, I will out of there." Shepard reminded himself. "No longer being a battery in a power plant."

The primary purpose of the Matrix was to raise all the children and way to keep track of all the humans born in the Alliance. It was odd to think about it, because one does not feel like they have been raised in a pod their whole life. It was as if you were always raised in the outside world and not knowing you was part of a sophisticated virtual reality program. It was necessary for this to be used since the Matrix gives humans advanced knowledge, strength, and agility. In exchange we humans offer the thoughts and flesh from which our bodies produce to power this almost flawless government. Shepard couldn't imagine what it would be like if humanity didn't have these abilities.

As Shepard gave into more thoughts of the future, a ringtone chimed from the screen next to his pod screen. He answered the phone and his parents were on the other line. Eric and Hannah Shepard were standing next to each other as if they were taking a portrait for a camera. The couple was an attractive looking older couple and both were wearing officers' uniforms of the Systems Alliance.

"John." Hanna said. "How did your exam go?"

"Great." John replied. "I got all the questions correct and I received a letter of recommendation from the Architech."

"John, that's great." Eric replied. "I think now's the time to transfer your credits to the Alliance Academy now before your summer holiday begins."

"Yes. You will need that time to recuperate your body and get it up to speed." Hanna explains. "When you get in, they aren't going to go nice on a soft kid who was just born from the pod. Trust me on that."

"Yeah." Eric said. "You're about to use a body that has never been active. We'll help you get up to speed this summer."

"Of course." John just shrugged off the light criticism. "What will be amazing is that I finally get to meet you guys in person and not in a simulated parental visit. It's a surreal thought to be thinking at the moment."

"Well, get some sleep tonight." Hanna advised her some more. "Because tomorrow you will finally be awake. Love you John."

"Bye, guys." John said as his father only responds with a two finger salute towards his son. The screen cuts off and he looks at the screen of himself inside the pod. "Yeah. I wake up tomorrow."

* * *

**EARTH**

**EMERGENCE ACADEMY**

**JUNE 16, 2163**

John Shepard stood at attention among his classmates at the Emergence Academy. Inside the large auditorium was 1000 young men and women watching the stage and listening to an hour's worth of overconfident speeches towards the students about to emerge into the real world.

Like the rest of the graduating class, Shepard wore a maroon colored Academy vest and pair of pants to match. There was a golden Academy seal on his left chest which matched the drapes hung above the professors on the stage. The professors were podborns – a term for humans born into the Matrix, yet they can strap into a seat and enter into the Matrix. There are people who were born naturally, but usually they chose to live in more remote locations on colonies around the Alliance. This group of humans was referred as freeborns.

That's when Shepard realized that when he leaves the Matrix and if he encounters a freeborn, that will entitle him as a podborn.

Shepard snapped out of his trance, then focused on the last speaker that was about to speak before the graduating class of 2163. The podborn professor introduced the final speaker and the anticipation was thick enough to feel in the entire room. "Graduates! I present to you our final speaker! Our mutual mother of our society! Our matriarch! Our most recognizable and beloved figure in the Matrix! The Oracle!"

On cue, the music played and the golden drapes with the academy seal on stage parted down the middle. Standing behind the curtains was an elderly woman with darken skin. She had a face of kindness and warmth, the kind of look a mother would see in her child. She was the polar opposite of the Architech, cold and a facial image made of stone. The Oracle wore a maroon colored gown and she smiled the whole time as she approached the stand.

The Oracle placed her hands on the stand and spoke to all of her students. "My children. Today you are no longer children. You have worked hard and prospered since the day you were born and you have all served your duties from the cradle, the Matrix. In return we give you the education for when the day comes of your emergence. Now is that day. Now you will serve humanity as a whole weather they have been born in the Matrix or lived free to determine their own future. Whatever the case maybe, the Matrix has always been the foundation of our past from the end of the Human/Machine war, the Great Synthesis of 2102, the discovery of the Prothean artifacts on Mars and its Mass Relay, then our great Systems Alliance after the First Contact war. The Matrix has been and always will be the foundation of our society." The Oracle clasps her hands together. "Graduating class of 2163." She spreads them out in a hugging gesture. "I now free you from the Matrix."

The crowd roars in a volley of applauds. The screams of joy and excitement follow as the young men and women couldn't believe their ears that they were no longer students. Tears were running down the cheeks of many while others found and hugged friends.

A booming voice echoed over the auditorium. "Graduates!" Said the faceless voice. "Walk to the next room behind the stage and find your seat with your name written above."

The people complied with the order and after what must have been almost an hour, each man and woman found their assigned seats. Shepard found his seat and sat down on something that reminded him of an old dentist's chair. He sat down and wondered how long this would take. _Hell. I've been asleep for 15 years. What's another hour or two?_ He casually thought to himself. When something did happen, he saw a man wearing an orderly uniform while pushing a cart filled with cups. The man stopped by Shepard and gave him one of the cups and carted them away to the next chair. He looks inside the cup and notice a single red pill at the bottom. A small voice from somewhere unknown said "Take the pill when instructed to do so." Okay. Shepard will do whatever is told for him to do.

Without warning the chairs swiveled a complete 180 degree angle and realized that the graduates were now staring at the center of what looks like a control booth. There was a man inside with a shaved bald head and a black goatee, wearing a speaker set on his head. "Alright kids, listen up." It was the same voice from the auditorium. "My name is Cypher and I'm here to instruct you to wake up. Take the red pill in the cup when I tell you. That pill represents your desire to wake up. Then when you do wake up, do yourself the most important thing when you are born again…DON'T PANIC! Do not squirm! Do not scream! Do however try to break free! You don't want us trying to resuscitate you on your first day out of the pods!" Cypher types on a keyboard in front of him. "Now! Take the red pill and swallow it!"

On the man's order, Shepard swallows the pill and instantly felt a slight tingle of warmth, but at the same time he felt tired.

"Hold on to everything, because Oz is going bye-bye!" Cypher told the people suddenly nodding off.

_What was he talking about? _Shepard thought as he noticed silver liquid consuming his feet and hands. Then the liquid spread all over his body and finally reaching into him mouth. He tried to close his mouth, but the force of the liquid forced it open and ran itself inside his throat. Then blackness came.

* * *

When John Shepard opens his eyes, the room was all of a sudden made of fluid…a purplish pink fluid. He couldn't remember what was going on at that second, but as soon as his mind was able to put the pieces together. _The pod! I'm in the pod!_ He reached his hand out and touched the thin layer of skin that kept the fluid in. He lifted his head out of the pool of sticky fluid and realized there was a tube down his throat. He pulled it and gagged as if he was vomiting. He then looked at the wires connected to his body, but soon detached as if _he_ wanted them out. The feeling of the release was slightly painful, but not as painful as the release from the back of his head.

Shepard observes his surroundings and noticed a series of circular towers stretching towards the clear blue sky. As he looked closer, there were pods attached to those towers. He glances to the left and right and realize that he was on one of these towers and there were other pods next to his. People were also lifting themselves up from their pods and each person was glancing around the surroundings. Shepard then realized that he was naked, pale, and he didn't have hair of any kind on his body and head. He also realized that he was waist deep in the sticky liquid that was probably supposed to be _placenta_.

An electronic voice rang out and said. "Preparing for flush mode. Do not make sudden movements and relax."

At that moment, Shepard felt a tug from his feet and he was dragged in from the suction of the drain at the bottom of his pod. The situation felt like he was on a water park ride, sliding down the tube and hoping that there is nothing deadly at the end of this slide. What he did see at the end of the slide was an area which looked like a kind of grate for drainage of excess water. The slide curved almost parallel to the floor and Shepard gently lands on the grate while the fluid is drained beneath the floor. He shakes his head and realizes that he is inside a glass box with what looks like a shower nozzle above his head. He stood up to see that many of the other people from the pods above were also with him as well. Each person realizes that they too had a glass box of their own. Someone even shouted _'Let's do that again!'_

The same mechanized voice that he heard before spoke again and this time it said. "Decontamination shower now in progress." The shower nozzle showered a gentle stream of water and the Shepard just rubbed the warm water all over himself. It felt good to get the sticky residue off of his body.

Five minutes later, the shower stopped and the voice said. "Rejuvenation vapors now in progress. Breathe in the vapors to prevent muscle atrophy." Shepard saw white mist coming from the floor of the box and breathed in the vapors. The vapors were odorless and didn't know if the process was working correctly, but he did feel something happening. He felt stronger from the eyes in his head to the bottom of his feet. He didn't feel as clumsy as he did five minutes ago.

After the vapor treatment, the voice cracked on again. "Now please exit the pod. Towels and disposable garments will be provided to you as you exit." The glass box lifts gently above all the people. Both men and women looked around and notice that they were all hairless and naked. Some covered themselves with their arms while some casually strode as they all walked towards a table holding piles of towels and disposable white coveralls and slippers.

After the shower, the medical examinations, and the briefing of what's to come, Shepard heard the phrase he wanted to hear from the head examiner. "In the next room, your parents and guardians are waiting in the next room. You are now free to see them."

John Shepard and the rest of his graduating class walked into a waiting room, which seem similar to one in a hospital. He strolled around the area with people holding up signs with names in front of them. When a name was recognized, the graduate would literally meet them, as if for the first time which would physically be for the first time. John would stool from one set of parents to another looking for his name. It took a while, but when he saw the words _John Shepard_ his eyes lit up. Before him were his parents and he was looking at them with his own eyes for the first time ever. His mother and father stood up from their seats and saw their son and they gave him a big hug.

"John." Hanna said as she kissed his forehead. "So wonderful to meet you in the flesh."

"Still keeping the look from when you were born." Eric rubbed John's head as John shrugged off the joke. "So what are we hanging around here for?"

"Don't forget. We got you few gifts." Hanna pulls out a department store bag and John observes what's inside. It was clothing, a hat, sunglasses, and a pair of shoes.

After John got dressed, his parents took him to a restaurant just right outside the spaceport which was located thirty miles away from the Matrix facility. The hat and glasses were essential to his reoperation, because he needed to keep the shine of the sun off of his hairless head and eyebrows. The meal John ordered was a steak and potato. He looked at the meal before him and said. "Now that I think about it, this is literally going to be the first time I eat solid food. Now I'm getting the significance of the whole concept of _being born again._"

"There's another way to be born again, but that involves reciting phrases from the Christian bible and being dowsed in a lake or pond." Eric let out a soft laugh.

John cut the first piece of meat and ate the chunk. "That's not bad."

"So are you ready for your other gift?" Hanna said.

"Alright." John said with a smile.

She pulls out a box and gives it to John. John opens the box and sees a ring and circular pod with an insert valve attached to it. "Is this an Omni-tool?"

"Yes." Hanna said. "This is a version for podborn humans."

"What's the version for freeborn humans?" John asked.

"It involves a surgical implant to the brain for the base, but you already have that mode in the back of your head." Hanna explains. "All you have to do is insert this in the outlet in the back of your head and it will do the rest."

John excitedly put the small ring on his left hand and then inserted the circular node in the back of his head. The tool activated as soon as he heard the final click into his head. His whole left arm just turned orange and he was amazed how fast the information was being processed from his mind to the tool. He looked up many things which were preset for him. "Mom. Dad. It says here I have a bank statement. I don't remember having a bank account."

"Better open it up and see what it says." Eric grinned.

John activated the account. After a few minutes of putting all his personal information and creating a number code to access his account, he noticed that he had three hundred-thousand credits to his name. John loses his breath and said. "Is this right?"

"It's is." Eric said with a wide grin. "We have been building up a trust fund account for you since the day you were born. This money is for you while you go through the Military Academy after the summer holiday."

"Thank you guys." John said.

"One more surprise." Hanna said. "During the summer holiday, your father and I got leave for the entire summer until you enroll at the Academy. We rented a place on Shanxi. It is where we are going to give you pointers and tips on how to handle military life."

"Not to mention the amount of work you'll be doing around this place." Eric said. "Oh, I forgot to tell you. There is still some cleaning up to do from the First Contact War. You'll be doing some physical labor that will be good for building muscle and character. You'll even learn a piece of history and you'll see the results of what war looks like. The things you'll need before you go."

Suddenly John's smile disappeared, but it wasn't going to let that ruin his day of celebration.

* * *

John Shepard sat patiently while they called the final boarding call to the Shanxi colony. He fiddled with the Omni-tool for a while and found some Codex files on different alien species and their governments. He activated the one that mention _humans_ first before observing other species.

**Codex:** _Humans. Homeworld Earth. Although similar in appearance, humans have a diverse culture but the two main differences would be between 'Podborns' and 'Freeborns'. The reason for this is that back in the late 21__st__ century, machines were created to serve humans as a menial labor force. As machines grew self-aware, machines formed their own nation and body of government called Zero-One. When this machine ruled nation's economy was harming the global economy on Earth, the human nations declared war on Zero One in 2095 the Human/Machine War began. After years of fighting a truce was declared and it was decided that humans and machines can merge as one calling it 'The Great Synthesis of 2102.' Eight billion humans became homo-machinist while the remaining two billion humans remain to be free from machine control. The early portion of the 22__nd__ century caused a huge migration of free humans to leave Earth and join the colonies on Earth's moon and on Mars. Both colonies weren't affected by the Human/Machine war and which caused dissident against human/machine hybrids. As these hybrids were being raised in pods of their governments on Earth, they earned the name Podborns which the name originated from the Martian colonies._

_In 2148, during an attempt to ease Podborn and Freeborn human relations, there was a joint project to terraform the planet Mars into a living, breathing atmosphere. The project was halted when the discovery of Prothean ruins were discovered. The ruins provided knowledge of advanced technology and in 2149 the moon of Pluto turned out to be a Mass Relay which projected ships to travel from one end of the galaxy to the other at FTL (Faster Than Light) speeds. Although this allowed humanity to spread out all over the galaxy, Both Podborns and Freeborns found their own form of opportunity. Podborns found opportunity for exploration and expansion of scientific knowledge while Freeborns found opportunity to claim habitable worlds. The stigma of this concept for Freeborns was to 'Get as far away from Podborn influence as possible' as many colonists had placed it. The Systems Alliance was created in 2055 to help govern the Earth and its colonies more effectively, but it was considered a loose Confederation of independent government colonies._

_The following weeks before the First Contact War of November 2157, a small Alliance exploration fleet, made up of five patrol ships and a frigate containing ten thousand Podborn Marines and researchers activated an uncharted Mass Relay. The fleet was destroyed when it was attacked by unknown vessels. Only the frigate, the Coronado made it out and asked for assistance by the colony of Shanxi, a colony populated by Freeborn humans. Despite the hesitance of a ship full of Podborn humans, the colony took in the damaged vessel and the wounded Podborn crew. The alien unknowns followed the ship and ordered an attack on the planet. The alien hostiles called themselves the Turian Hierarchy. The Hierarchy launched an invasion of the colony and the colonist fought against the invaders for a month. When all of the major cities of Shanxi fell, the remaining ground forces fled to the forests and continued a guerilla campaign. It wasn't until December 23rd that the Alliance mobilized a fleet of dreadnaughts and attacked the Turian fleet surrounding Shanxi. The Turian fleet surrounding Shanxi was destroyed in fifteen minutes by the Alliance's more advanced weaponry. On January 10, 2158 official hostilities ended, when the Citadel Council called for a peace settlement between the Alliance and the Hierarchy._

_Stories of what happened on Shanxi spread rapidly throughout Alliance space. Stories of how Podborns and Freeborns fought side-by-side against a common enemy and uplifting stories of overcoming incredible odds of survival. One particular photo that showed heroism during the war was an image of a Freeborn human helping an injured Podborn while another Podborn was giving the two men cover fire. Later the title of the photo was named 'Brothers-in-Arms at last.' The image became such an icon that swayed public opinion between Podborns and Freeborns showed that the First Contact war brought humanity socially closer together and strengthen the government of the Systems Alliance._

_After peace was achieved, the Citadel Council invited the Systems Alliance in talks of joining the Council. Five representatives appeared. The five representatives were two Podborns, two Freeborns, and a template connecting to the Matrix. The Council was willing to accept the Alliance under the condition that the Matrix would be downgraded from an Artificial Intelligence template to a Virtual Intelligence template since A.I.'s are forbidden under the Council Convention. The Alliance respectfully refused to comply, but a compromise was reached when the Alliance would be allowed to be an individual government as long as the Alliance can have an embassy on the Citadel and allowed to merge the Alliance's economy with the rest of Citadel space. The Alliance promise not to sabotage or unintentionally disrupt the economy like the nation of Zero One did back in 2095, which caused the United Nations to go to war with the machines. _

Shepard noticed a link below the last paragraph. It was marked as a recruitment ad, but served as an information guideline. It said _Shanxi stories_. He activated the link and something that looked like an Alliance recruitment ad in the form of a PSA announcement.

The screen showed _this interview was made by men and women who were colonist on the planet Shanxi during the First Contact war_.

**Man #1:** I ran a store.

**Woman#2:** I worked a space port.

**Man#3:** I lived and worked on a farm.

**Man#4:** I did construction.

**Woman#5:** I worked in an office.

**Man#1:** At that time I didn't care for the Alliance. I just had a business to run.

**Woman#2:** I wasn't thrilled about podborn people.

**Man#3:** To be honest, I was pretty prejudice against someone not being born naturally.

**Man#4:** I didn't want to be around one.

**Woman#5**: They weren't someone I would have a cup of coffee with.

**Woman#2:** I was working that day when the Coronado had to make an emergency landing. At first I was shocked to see a lot of podborns coming out of the craft. I helped when I found out they were attacked by some unknown fleet. While I was helping with the wounded, that's when the attacks began.

**Man#1:** My store was destroyed from the turian's orbital bombardment.

**Man#4:** I was on a high-rise tower when I saw everything around me buring.

**Woman#5:** I almost got killed when the building I was in collapsed around me. Some of my co-workers weren't so lucky.

**Man#3:** I could see the fire on the horizon what was going on. I grabbed my guns and ran to the nearest city to see if they needed help. That's when the turians came. We fought their advances for a month, but it felt like years.

**Man#1:** They took everything from us and now they wanted to take our lives.

**Man#4:** We were on the verge of death, until it happened…a miracle.

**Woman#2:** We sent out an emergency broadcast to the nearest colony or system to help us. It was the Systems Alliance who answered the call.

**Woman#5:** I was pulled out of the wreckage of my building by a podborn. I hugged him and thanked him.

**Man#3:** I was helping a squad of Alliance soldiers clear out a turian pocket of resistance, I served as their guide.

**Man#1:** My family and I owe everything to the Alliance when they helped us recover.

**Woman#2:** I never worked alongside podborns my life, working together for a common goal.

**Man#3:** I proudly fought alongside with them and for the first time I was able to call a podborn 'my brother'.

**Man#4:** After fighting side-by-side with the Alliance, that's when I decided to join the Alliance military.

**Woman#5:** The Alliance liberated our world and saved the lives of me and my family.

Then the PSA advertisement ended with information on recruiting on the extranet and a location of a recruiting office.

Hanna came up to John as told him. "Were boarding. Are you ready?"

John stood up and looked at his mother proudly. "Yes ma'am." He walked towards the terminal with the words Shanxi written above the doorway.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

**WEST POINT, NEW YORK EARTH **

**ALLIANCE MILITARY ACADEMY**

**JULY 25, 2165**

Life in a military academy wasn't as bad as he originally thought it was going to be. John Shepard enjoyed learning tactical maneuvers from all the famous battles of the past. He liked the battles of the Classical Era: Marathon, Thermopylae, and Gaugamela. 20th century wars and the battles that were fought were also fascinating. He particularly liked battles during World War II when researching his tactical assessments.

Learning to fight was fun. It was easy since all he had to do was sit in a chair and allow a download program fill his head with the knowledge of all martial arts moves from Kung-Fu to Krav Maga. They also threw in some turian, salarian, and asari martial arts as well. He also learned to use various combat skills such as weapons handling, knife fighting, and hand-to-hand combat. He enjoyed sparing off with other students in the virtual dojo programs. He felt like he was fighting in some old Chinese Kung-Fu vid.

Now learning to fight through downloading is one thing, but applying those taught skills in the real world was another challenge. John had to spend hours on end trying to create muscle memory during the many hours of rigorous exercise, trying to match his body to what he has already learned from his downloading teachings…after his routine calisthenics of running, push-ups, sit-ups, squats, and jumping jacks. He didn't care, he loved the exercises. He felt rejuvenated after a day in the gymnasium. A normal day one of those standard physical training days. Some days he would swim or practice gymnastics. It helped him prepare for the Summer Training, finally putting all those skills to work, out on the field for a week, simulating an alien attack and figuring a way to break and exploit the enemy's weakness. That was a fun week. Shepard would think to himself.

Today was a little different. Today was his first day as an officer of the Alliance Navy. Graduation was yesterday and he couldn't stop looking at his 2nd Lieutenant medals. It truly felt like it was an honor to be a part of humanity's exploration of space. He would also quip to himself saying that he now felt closer to his parents as he looked at his brand new officer's uniform. He was waiting in an on-base hotel room, preparing for his flight tomorrow to see his father while he was on shore leave. His mother will have to wait since she's out somewhere in deep space. _Can't wait to show dad_. Shepard would think.

Shepard examined the fine details of his uniform before properly stowing it away. He sat down at the foot of his bed to watch the extranet news feed.

The feed was playing a news talk show. The anchorman sitting in the center opens the topic. "There has been much discussion over the arrival of what is known as The Migrant Fleet out by the edges of the Terminus systems, six months ago. There has been no hostility and despite the vast number of ships, this Flotilla has rather peaceful intentions. The Migrant Fleet is controlled by a non-Citadel species known as the quarians. Now according to their past history, they had their Citadel status revoked around three hundred years ago when they had unintended released a species of A.I. known as the geth. Now forced to wander the galaxy in their massive fleet of aging ships, they must make ends-meet by taking in scrap and things most races have no use for. To add to their problems, they physically cannot expose themselves without enviro-suits since they have no immune system." The screen shows a diagram of a quarian with an enviro-suit on. "Right now, the Oracle and members of the Alliance government allowed The Migrant Fleet access to roam around the edges of Alliance space three months ago. What could the problems be and what could the benefits be? Discussing this topic to my right is columnist Thomas Ledwidge and Senator Donnel Udina." Both men bowed their heads. "To my left is columnists Walter Bunn and Lisa Wong." They both bowed their heads as well. "Now let's start with you Senator. Where do you stand on this issue?" The anchorman stated.

"I'd say it is a mistake." Udina said. "I was very vocal about my decision not to allow some strange alien species into Alliance space, especially when all we know is that they are pirates disguising themselves as drifters moving from system to system asking for handouts. If not pirates then they are more like a species of interstellar hobos if you ask me."

"That's a bit harsh to say senator." Wong interjected. "Giving the fact that our own species has had problems with A.I. in the past. Their problem with the geth was not so different from when our ancestors created machines that suddenly became self-aware. The only difference was we didn't have the Mass Relays ready for us as the quarians did three hundred years ago."

"I have to agree with Mrs. Wong." Bunn said. "The Council had also turned their backs on the quarians all that time ago, after pleading to the Council to help them take back their homeworld of Rannoch. What's even more unfair to the quarians is that their race continues to be blacklisted for what their ancestors did, some form of 'sins of the father' type stigma."

"Well I have to agree with Senator Udina." Ledwidge added. "What's to say about what the quarians think of us? We have a society that is under the rule of an actual A.I. and what do the quarians really think of the difference of podborn and freeborn humans? The main question is if they have a history with A.I.'s why would they come to the Systems Alliance in the first place? One would think they would stay away from this place if A.I. tried to slaughter your people."

Wong answered. "Likely it has a lot to do with that we are more secured from the chaos of the Terminus Systems and that we are independent from Citadel rule. We the Alliance don't have to kowtow to the Council's stigma towards the quarians. The quarians are a race that has done nothing to us. They need a place of refugee while our need for allies among our place in the stars is greatly appreciated."

"Yes." Bunn said. "Defense is important, especially from the turians. The quarians have a massive fleet, roughly about fifty-thousand ships. Not to mention that the quarians have been traveling in space for a long time and quite familiar to the resources that we will discover from time to time. Even now there's a considerable number of quarians working for mining companies and even a few helping out new colonies using their expertise in engineering. Yes Mr. Ledwidge, there is general quarian mistrust towards podborn humans, but they have been helpful in establishing new colonies for humans in general. Which brings me to ask you Senator…you say you were against quarians being allowed in Alliance space, but it didn't stop you from voting to agree on providing employment and even prospecting a planet with dextro-based plant life to raise crops for the quarians?"

"I admit." Undina takes a deep breath. "I still don't trust the quarians being here, but until we can legally kick the Flotilla out of Alliance space, they can be of some use. That's why I agreed to the 'The Migrant Fleet work plan bill'. I wouldn't like to keep them in Alliance space taking up room and have them supported at the expense of taxpayer money, but that won't change my opinion on always opening our arms to any species that ask politely. We are opening new doors to exploration and we must be careful which ones are safe and which are deadly. We are already having tense relations with the Batarian Hegemony over the Skyllian Verge and security for the Systems Alliance is priority one."

The anchorman cut in. "Well, we have to stop right there for the moment. We'll be taking a break, but when we come back we'll discuss the issue of national security and the possibly securing an alliance with the krogan clans on Tuchanka and can the krogan form a single government? We'll discuss this right after these messages."

The anchorman turns to Lisa Wong and made small talk to kill the last few seconds before the advertisements began. The sound was cut off, but Shepard could read their lips. _"So Lisa, I understand your daughter Emily has been starting school at the Emergence Academy…so to say."_ He said shifting his eyes to the side knowing that her daughter is in reality in a pod.

"_Yes."_ Wong smiled _"She'll also be five this month."_

The screen faded to black and some random advertisement flickered on.

"Politics is just another form of war." Shepard said to himself. "I hope to do little of that kind of fighting during my career."

* * *

**ALPHA CENTAURI**

**CRUISER: SSV TORONTO**

**SEPTEMBER 22, 2176**

Lieutenant Commander John Shepard just received his newest rank a few days ago. After his official frocking ceremony, many speeches from high ranking officers, and over two hundred enlisted men and women forced to wear their dress blues and stand for an hour listening to someone enjoying their own voice. Now he was able to focus on the leave in a few days as reward for his hard work and service to the Alliance Navy.

_Thirty days at a resort of my choice._ Shepard thought. _The benefits of being an officer._ He can just taste the exotic food, drink, and women of some resort next to a beach. His only problem was that he hasn't decided which one. It was part of the package list of choice of vacation spots. _Earth? The equatorial beaches on Eden Prime? _

While Shepard pondered his options, a yeoman came up to him. "Lieutenant…" The young man corrected himself. "…I mean Lieutenant Commander?"

"Yes." Shepard responded.

"You have an emergency vid com call coming in from Captain Hanna Shepard." The yeoman specified the name since he knows both of Shepard's parents are Captains. "I can punch it through in the comm room for you?"

"Yes. Patch it through." Shepard moved as fast as he could without showing stress or concern since he had to make an impression with the rest of his crew. Yet he did sense the hint of urgency from his yeoman. When he came to the screen, the Omni-tool activated his transmission and his mother showed herself in holographic form.

"John." Hanna seemed distressed. Not as an officer to another, but more like mother to son.

"Mom…I mean Captain. What's wrong?" John now was correcting himself.

"No formalities, please." She was trying to maintain composure. "John. Did you hear on the news?"

"No. We are out in space. What happened?" John said.

"Elysium." She began then she gained control of herself. "Elysium has been attacked. Attacked by some large fleet of Batarian pirates."

John's jaw just fell to the floor. "The Skyllian Flotilla?" John knew that a 'Wolfpack Flotilla' commanded by John's father was patrolling the system closest to Elysium. "Dad? What happened?"

"All I can say is that the good news is that the Skyllian Flortilla thwarted off the Batarian fleet. Their armor and shields was no match for our NI cannons." Hanna said while trying to maintain composure. "Unfortunately, there was damage to the colony. The colony was saved and the Flotilla saved the colonist."

"Mom." John's tone was a little more stressed. "I have a feeling there's something you not telling me."

"Only one of the Flotilla's ships was destroyed." Hanna explained as John's knee suddenly knew what she was going to say. "The Yorktown. The Yorktown led the attack, but it was destroyed."

"Dad?" That was his father's ship from where he commanded the Flotilla. "Survivors?"

"I'm sorry, John." Tears ran down Hanna's eyes. "There were no survivors."

John felt his heart sink and he could do nothing but gaze outwardly without thought or comprehension. "I…I need some alone time."

"I'm sorry, John." Hanna said. "I'll call you back later."

"Yes." John could only say as the video feed went blank. He tried to collect his thoughts and walked out of the comm room.

He did what he could do, by not showing his emotions at least not of yet. Shepard told his Captain, Captain Matzko, of the pirate attack and what his mother described to him. The Captain made a speech on the intercom to inform the crew what had just happened. The Captain mentioned the heroic efforts of Captain Eric Shepard and the sacrifice he and his crew made to ensure the safety of the Elysium colony. The Captain also ordered to the ship to dock at the nearest starport.

When the Toronto docked, Captain Matzko came up to Shepard and said. "You should be proud of your father. The name 'Shepard' will be synonymous with hero. I know that's not what you really want to hear at this moment and I defiantly know this is not how you want to spend your leave. What I can do is extend your leave without it being charged to you. I can give you extra thirty days as emergency leave. You can start it now." Matzko took a deep breath. "Will you have trouble booking passage home?"

"No sir, thank you." Shepard gave the Captain a salute and the Captain returned the salute.

* * *

Shepard put on his civvies and carried a large duffel bag with all of his clothes. He walked away from the Toronto and bought a spaceflight ticket to where he and Hanna are going to meet up along with various members of Shepard's relatives. The next ship to leave won't be for a couple of days. _Plenty of time to sulk and mourn_ he thought to himself.

After Shepard checked into a hotel room, he proceeded to the hotel's lounge. When he sat down at the bar, he ordered a whiskey double to a quarian working behind the counter. He never saw a quarian so close to the center of Alliance space before. Usually they tend to stay with their fleet or work on a colony populated by freeborn humans. They have a tendency to not trust podborn humans completely, since the popular myth among the quarians is that _podborns are willing slaves to the Matrix._ This quarian was wearing a green enviro-suit with a green faceplate to match. Judging by the style and build, this quarian was a male.

While he was waiting for the bartender to make his drink, he saw the news feed on the bar's holo vid. It talked about the attack on Elysium, the Batarians pirates being beaten back, and finally showed an image of Captain Eric Shepard.

Then he activated his Omni-Tool and played the first recording from when he first got the device for the first time when he left the Matrix. He didn't know it at the time, but he recorded his father's voice. He played the oldest recorded entry.

"_Not to mention the amount of work you'll be doing around this place."_ The recorded voice cracked to life, remembering what the surprise his father had for him. _"Oh, I forgot to tell you. There is still some cleaning up to do from the First Contact War. You'll be doing some physical labor that will be good for building muscle and character. You'll even learn a piece of history and you'll see the results of what war looks like. The things you'll need before you go."_

"Grief drinking today?" The male quarian bartender bringing Shepard's drink asked.

"How can you tell?" Shepard asked.

"Being a bartender gives me a chance to observe human behavior in the best light." The bartender said. "What are you drinking to?"

"My father." Shepard said as he raised his glass and downed it quickly. "He just passed away."

"I'm sorry for your loss." The bartender tone lowered.

"Thanks." Shepard laid down the glass and looked at the quarian. "If I may ask, I don't see quarians this far into Alliance space, because this is where more podborn humans live. Why are you down so far away from the outer reaches and so far away from the Migrant Fleet?"

"My pilgrimage." The quarian said while he fixed another drink for Shepard. "It's a rite of passage by my people to prove that you are ready to be an adult and prove yourself to the fleet by bringing something of value. We are allowed to go anywhere we want and I was curious about podborn humans. I must admit, my people are a little mistrustworthy of humans born and raised by the Matrix." He put the whiskey bottle away. "I was a little curious to know how your type functioned."

"Yeah, your people had problems with the geth." Shepard sipped a little bit of the whiskey. "I can understand why you wouldn't trust people like me. We're like _indentured servants to an A.I. _So what do you think of it so far?"

The bartender explains. "Well, So far all humans are more accepting of us than any of the other Council species. We're treated like beggars and vagrants by other alien species, but it seems that your Oracle sees more potential in our species and was willing to help us make life on the Flotilla easier. Getting a job in Alliance space is much easier than getting one in Citadel space. As for podborn humans, you're a little more physically and mentally disciplined than some of the freeborn humans I've met. Yet your set is no different when it comes to emotional situations. Like family. You seem to control your emotions when you can. Are you military?"

"Yes." Shepard stated as he finished his second drink. "I just made Lieutenant Commander a couple of days ago. My parents are…were both Captains." Shepard gazes at the news feed and it was showing Captain Eric Shepard's profile image again. "That's him right there."

The bartender turned around and saw the feed and said. "Keelah. Captain Eric Shepard is your father?"

"Yes." Shepard hung his head lower. "I'm John Shepard."

"Oh." The bartender lowered his head. "Keelah se'lai. What your father did was an honorable act of heroism. What he did was considered the most honorable trait recognizable by our people." Shepard just barely nodded. "I'm sorry to bring that up. Here, this one's on the house." He poured another glass for Shepard. "By the way, I'm Caal Turgas nar Tifol."

"A pleasure, mister…uh, Tifol." Shepard smiled.

"Just call me Caal." The quarian seemed to perk up knowing who he was talking to.

"Okay, Caal." Shepard takes another sip of his whiskey. "What sorts of value are you suppose to bring back to the Flotilla?"

"Oh, whatever would make life easier on the fleet. Such as food, fuel, raw materials, parts, or knowledge." Caal explained.

"What are you bringing back?" Shepard asked.

"I'm saving up to buy a ship, but like I said. Being a bartender gives me a chance to observe human behavior in the best light" Caal was grinning, but Shepard couldn't see it behind his faceless green mask. "What better way than serving drinks?"

"How about this." Shepard finished his drink. "I tell you about what the Matrix is about and you tell me about your people. I have a couple of days here until my flight leaves for my father's funeral. Deal?

"Deal." Caal said as he poured another drink for a slightly buzzed Shepard.


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

**ORBIT AROUND MOON OF TORFAN**

**SSV: TORONTO**

**STATUS: SKYLLIAN BLITZ**

**AUGUST 2, 2178**

The planet Torfan was uninhabitable, yet it was able to produce one moon which made it bearable enough to support a somewhat structured society for the batarians. Much like Earth's moon, Torfan's single moon was only a rock with limited gravity. However, this rock was also a major platform for batarian pirates and slavers.

Shepard gazed at Torfan's moon and dove into his thoughts on the upcoming battle. _The Batarian Hegemony officially didn't 'endorse' band of pirates and slavers. However Batarian Hegemony didn't 'enforce' their laws when it comes to dealing with them._ _All the reason to put them out of business._ Shepard thought to himself.

Shepard activated his Omni-tool to look at the intelligence report he got. He wanted to brush through what he needs to know about his enemy.

The intelligence report says: _The rest of the galaxy views the batarians as an ignorable problem. It is not known what the average batarian thinks about their enforced isolation, as the Department of Information Control ensures that only government-approved news enters or leaves batarian space. Given the batarian government's oppressive nature, it is speculated their supreme leadership is autocratic or totalitarian in nature. The batarians blame humanity for their troubles and claim they were forced to fend for themselves, despite the fact that their exile is largely self-imposed when they withdrew their status from the Citadel in protest over the Alliance colonization of the Skyllian Verge._

What bothered Shepard about the report was when it said '_Department of Information Control ensures that only government-approved news enters or leaves batarian space._' He couldn't help but think that the average batarian doesn't know what is going on their homeworld of Khar'shan. _Does the 'average' batarian know that there's a war between the Alliance and Hegemony's unofficial backed pirate fleets?_ Shepard thought to himself while also fantasizing about taking all the ships in the Alliance, taking those ships to Khar'shan, and bombing them back to the stone age. The Hegemony should've been more cautious when dealing with the Alliance's capabilities.

Then again, Shepard must realize that his desire to unleash such a dark fantasy would result in major political blowback. He remembers his training back at the Military Academy about the Korean War. How General Douglas MacArthur wanted to drop atomic bombs over China furiously ending the Korean War, but was stopped by President Harry Truman. If such a thing had happened, the old United States would've been seen as a violent aggressor to the rest of the world at the time. That's what Shepard must do as an officer and a leader, not to make the Alliance seem like a violent aggressor which would only make the rest of Citadel space more sympathetic towards the Hegemony. Shepard thought to himself _The Alliance may have the tools and the weaponry the Council can only dream of, but the Council has the numbers and the years of experience the Alliance can only dream of._

A voice of the ship's pilot cracked over the intercom. "Incoming message from Admiral Hackett. Should I patch it through, Lieutenant Commander?"

"Patch it through." Shepard said.

"Commander." The voice said of a gruff elderly man with years of military experience under his belt. "I understand that this is your first command of a ship since I have Captain Matzko doing a classified assignment. I would like to let you know that you will lead the orbital bombardment of Torfan's moon on your order."

"It's an honor sir." The thought of Shepard in command of an entire fleet thrilled him, even though it would be for only for this battle which is a very brief moment in military length. However, it's an opportunity to prove his status as a leader.

"Unfortunately, your fleet won't be alone." Hackett said. "Accompanying you will be a small fleet of quarian volunteers. I hope this won't dampen your moods on the attack. The Migrant Fleet was very insisting on sending these volunteers."

The idea of babysitting an alien fleet would put some captains in a bad mood, but Shepard actually cracked a small smile. "Actually, that sounds interesting. I'm anxious to see how well the quarians stack up."

"Glad to hear that." Hackett said. "I thought I'd let you know that these particular ships the quarians are commanding have been retrofitted with NI cannons."

"I see and I'm guessing the Migrant Fleet wants to test the weapons systems on a real battle." Shepard replied.

"That's right." Hackett continued. "The flotilla wants to show the galaxy its new teeth and when this opportunity arose, this fleet of volunteers wanted to come along. Even better they were willing to follow your command especially when the word 'Shepard' came up."

He cringed as he heard those words. Shepard's name has been highly praised, but only because of his father. He didn't want fame and notoriety of any kind, especially when he has no intention of riding the coattails of his father's heroic deeds. He was the kind of man who wants to stand on his own two feet. "I will make sure they all get back to the Flotilla safe."

"That's great to hear commander." Hackett said. "By the way, they have a little surprise as to say for ground forces."

"Quarian ground forces?" Shepard asked. "Sir, quarian marines are only used in hit and run maneuvers, they don't have the immune systems for frontal assaults."

"Well that's the surprise." Hackett takes a deep breath. "I can't discuss the details on this channel, but I can say this. The last thirteen years have been great for the quarians. The steady employment the Alliance has provided the quarians has bolstered their fleet, some even gotten wealthy with a few investments here and there in the past few years. So some wealthy quarians decided to invest in our weapons division and…some outside sources as well. You'll just have to see for yourself. Hackett out."

* * *

**07:59 BRAVO ZULU TIME**

Shepard looked at the time and said to himself. "One minute left." As he readied the intercom around his ear to signal the attack, he kept his breathing to a steady pace. He gazed at the screen on the intended painted targets. Defense towers, defense turrets, bases buried mostly underground. These might be pirates, but they functioned like a military. Perhaps the batarian military is more black-ops style organization than a proper military order. It wouldn't surprise him since the Hegemony prefers striking their targets swiftly than fight head on in a war of attrition.

08:00 came and Shepard gave the order. "All ships commence bombardment!"

The small fleet of Alliance ship opened fire. The NI cannons emitted a faint blue pulse which exited from the shafts of their cannons. Soon, a steady stream of blue lights came rained down on the pirate colony. The quarian volunteer fleet followed suit to the Alliance's fleet. The quarian's NI cannons didn't have trouble adjusting to their ships.

The surface of Torfan's moon was erupting with blue explosions and the lights danced around the chaos that unfolded for the hour long stream of bombing one area after another.

Then Shepard gave the next order. "All ships cease fire! Cease fire!" Shepard quickly observed the damage on the vid screen and nodded approvingly. "Now send in the ground forces." Shepard knew the Alliance marines all too well how and where they were going to attack. What was more interesting was what was the quarians going to do in their reserved area for attack? He admitted to himself that his attention was a little more focused on the quarian landing pods.

The quarian pods approached safe speeds as they descended over the moon's surface. The landing pods were getting hit with small arms fire, but nothing severe enough to cause any damage. It was similar to firing a B.B. gun at the side of a building. As the pods touched down, the doors dropped open.

An entire mob of krogan troops poured out each of the pods clad with full body armor and helmets to help them breath on the airless moon. They shouted an ear deafening roar as they charged against a division of batarian pirates.

Some of the pirates held their grounds to fight only get mowed down by gunfire or clubbed to death by the large krogan shotguns. Some batarians retreated, perhaps out of fear or personal experience with the krogan. For all reasons, krogan are the most feared band of fighters in the galaxy. They were famous wiping out the rachni during the Rachni War and they became notorious for their rebellions four hundred years later. The turians and salarians gave the krogan the boot by dispensing a fertility plague called the Genophage. These days krogan are reduced to petty clan divisions and rivalries on their homeworld of Tuchanka. Often they would leave off world and gain employment as mercenaries or become criminals. It was often a sign of status if one could afford and army of krogan mercenaries and it looks like the quarians were able to afford such a luxury.

"My god." Shepard stated. "Krogan mercs. The last thirteen years have been great to the quarians." Shepard realizes that after today, the quarians are now going to be able to walk a little taller after this demonstration.

* * *

**SURFACE OF TORFAN'S MOON**

**18:36 BRAVO ZULU TIME**

Lieutenant Commander Shepard walked and observed the damage of the shelled out pirate base. There was breathable air in this building so naturally this became the Forward Operating Base for clearing out the isolated pockets of resistance on this moon's surface.

Shepard wanted to see what the batarians had in their pirated supplies, but he was summoned by Admiral Hackett himself when Hackett landed near his F.O.B. Shepard complied and found a room where they can talk.

It would seem that Hackett was already in the room Shepard has chosen. Accompanying Hackett was Captain Matzko and next to him were a male quarian wearing a white enviro-suit with red trimmings and a krogan with maroon red armor with notably three scars covering the mouth of his face.

Admiral Hackett was also a podborn human, yet he had a bit of a grizzly appearance of a freeborn colonist living off the land. It was the look of years of experience on the field that can take toll no matter where one could be born. "Commander that was impressive of how you handled yourself commanding that fleet." Hackett said.

"Thank you, sir." Shepard said.

"I also would like to let you know that your Captain here thinks you're ready." Hackett said.

"Ready?" Shepard asked.

"Yes." Matzko said. "Remember that classified mission I was on? Well the mission was observing your actions. You commanded this fleet with minimal loss of life to our own forces and not losing one of our ships." Matzko pulls out two pins from a small case and pins two pieces of metal to Shepard's shoulder. "You have earned yourself a new position as Commander."

"Congratulations." Hackett said. "You earned it."

"Thank you." Shepard was lost for words. "W…what's next for me?"

"Well get to that in a minute." Hackett said as he introduced the other two beings in the room. "Commander, this is Admiral Zaal'Koris vas Qwib Qwib. He led the quarian volunteer fleet. " Then his voice went silent. "Don't ask about the name." Then Hackett pointed to the krogan next to Koris. "This is Urdnot Wrex. He's in charge of the krogan mercs that assisted the quarians."

"Pleased to meet you two." Shepard said as he shook Koris's three digit hand and looked into his purple visor, but Wrex showed no interest in formalities as he seemed bored with the human's presence already.

"A pleasure." Korris replied.

"Whatever." Wrex said slyly. "I'm only here till the quarian pays me."

"You will be paid when the mission is over." Korris snapped at the krogan.

"That was impressive using an army of krogan mercs." Shepard said. "What did you pay them? I mean hiring krogan for a battle doesn't come cheap."

"Ha!" The krogan blurted. "I'll answer that one, Admiral. This quarian is paying us in armor and guns made by podborn humans."

"That's something I didn't expect you to fight for." Shepard said.

"You don't understand." Korris explained. "Your armor and weaponry is quite popular among the krogan."

"Yeah." Wrex chimed in. "Not to mention that they're better than what the turians and salarians can throw at us. More valuable than gold, plus we get to take our pick of what the batarians have in their possessions."

"Well, the quarians can now show the galaxy that they are not weak out on the battlefield." Shepard added.

"Making us do the straight fighting." Wrex said. "Can't let our quarian bosses die of tummy ache out on the field."

"That's enough out of you." Korris said to a snickering Wrex. Then he looked at Shepard. "Yes. This is a great day for our people and now we won't be viewed upon as beggars and thieves. This is all thanks to the Systems Alliance."

"It was an honor to fight alongside you Admiral." Shepard said as Korris and Wrex left the room.

"Now I have something for you, Commander." Hackett said handing Shepard a data pad. "This is your new assignment. You are to assume control of a Marine unit."

"When do I start?" Shepard asked.

"As of five minutes ago, right now." Hackett smiled. "Report to these coordinates. Dismissed, Commander."

"Sir." Shepard walks out of the room and studies the data tensely.

* * *

**A/N: **_Thank you for your support and I'm glad you like my story so far to all the people who written a review. Let me answer some of your questions. __I will be going on vacation soon__ so I can't guarantee that I can get access to a computer, but I'll do my best to keep the chapters coming. Hopefully, this story will end better than ME 3 and the Matrix Revolutions. If it is disappointing, I'll make another ending…which will be a DLC fanfic which will be ready around the summer of 2013._


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4**

**THE CITADEL**

**COUCIL MEETING**

**JUNE 6, 2180**

The three main representatives enter an office, with the Council Chambers right outside the door. The table they have chosen to have this meeting, and many like it in the past, is a round table with three chairs spread out accordingly so each member can identify who is who. The asari representative, Matriarch Tevos was the first to sit. The turian representative, Sparatus sat and the salarian representative, Sarltin was the last to follow.

Tevos was the first to speak. "I have called this meeting here today, for we have to discuss the topic about the Systems Alliance."

The surly turian, Sparatus spoke next. "You mean allowing the humans to join the Council. I mean didn't we offer that same invitation after the Relay 314 incident? And what did they say? 'No' was the word."

Sarltin was next to adding. "Yes they did and why did they reject our offer? Because they refused to downgrade their Matrix."

"Gentlemen, I understand that this is a sensitive issue." Tevos tried to calm the two council members down. "We must also focus on what the humans have done since we brought them here for talks after the Relay 314 incident." Tevos takes a deep breath. "What was done was they have secured a large portion of Terminus space, which has made Citadel space a more secure from pirates and slavers. The Alliance has proven to be more of a contribution to the galaxy as a whole than previously expected."

"But at what cost?" Sarltin asked. "Yes, they have finished up that war with the batarian pirates and slavers two years ago. But let's not forget to mention that the humans made friends with the Migrant Fleet and now they're getting friendly with the krogan clans. What's next? Are they going to make friends with the yahg?"

"That's right." Sparatus said. "The Migrant fleet for these past two years has been upgrading their weapons and armor with the Alliance's help."

"Does this mean that the Migrant Fleet is more powerful than the Hierarchy's fleet?" Sarltin contradicted the surly old turian.

Sparatus countered by saying. "Or that a single krogan clan armed with Alliance weaponry can now wipe out two to five STG divisions?"

The two representatives gave each other a cold stare for response from the subtle insults. Then Tevos made another point. "That is not what I was trying to imply, but they are points of fact that must be handled. There is a saying the humans have about this sort of situation. They call it 'The Elephant in the room.'"

"Elephant?" Sarltin asked.

"A large lumbering beast from Earth." Tevos explained. "It looks a bit like the elcor." Then Tevos realizes that she was moving off track from her main comments. "Anyway, the Systems Alliance is a lot like the elephant and Council space is a lot like the people ignoring the elephant's presence."

"And your point?" Sparatus added.

Tevos closes her eyes for a moment and then proceed to bring home her point. "The point is that if we continue on ignoring the elephant in our room, the problem will only grow larger and larger. Then the Council will be overwhelmed to stop it. We must make some considerations to how the Alliance practices their own policies and we must reconsider giving to the fact that an A.I. rules their government."

"Are you serious?" Sarltin eyes widened as much as any salarian's eyes can. "You want to allow an A.I. ruled species to join Council space? Since we're at it why don't we extend an invitation to the geth?"

"I also know of another human saying." Sparatus added to Sarltin's frustration. "_Better to be the Devil's right hand than in his path._"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Tevos gave Sparatus an inquisitive look.

Sparatus stood from his seat. "If we are truly trying to side with the Alliance, then what's to say that they would eventually dominate the Council through brute force? We could eventually become powerless to stop it over time! So then our future children will have to compromise to the policies of the Alliance? The policies of an A.I.?"

"Enough!" Tevos stood up and pointed. "Sit down and listen!" She sat down and allowed her voice to soften again, looking at Sparatus. "Please also understand that humans are not slaves to the Matrix. That negative stereotype has been spread around by citizens of the Turian Hierarchy. It is not true. Humans, both podborn and freeborn, are individual citizens of the Alliance." Then she looks at Sarltin. "Secondly, yes the humans have been making friends with species that have nothing but contempt for the Council, but what is to stop the Alliance from curing the genophage for the krogan and eventually launch a second krogan rebellion if we allow the Alliance to continue without the Council's enforcement? As far as I am concerned for the quarians, they are more interested in taking back their former homeworld and its colonies. And third, if we can bring the Alliance into the Council, they can prove to be a powerful ally instead of being a dangerous enemy."

The turian and salarian diplomats just sat quietly as they looked at each other and gave thought about what Tevos had said.

Sarltin broke the silence. "Suppose what you said is true, the Council Conventions still prohibit the presence of A.I."

"There are exceptions." Tevos said. "As long as this A.I. has proven itself as not being harmful to any organic species. Just as long as there can be a co-existence achieved by both synthetic and the species of its creation, there can be compromise. The quarians are proof of that fact that the Matrix could have been violent to another species other than the humans that created it."

Tevos takes another deep breath and delivers another statement. "Let's not forget that our resources are already being drained as it is. The Turian Fleet has to send more and more of its ships to patrol the border between the Alliance and Hierarchy, which has deprived a fair number of ships away from patrolling the edge of Terminus space. So for the last few years, the Hierarchy had to create more ships and drafting more turians into service in order to make up the lost numbers, which is draining your government's treasury." She looks over at Sparatus. "Not to mention the Council's as well. We have also had to ask for ships from Thessia and Sur'Kesh to add to the Council's fleet. I do not want to bore you with the details of the money all of our governments spent to build up against an enemy that will no intentions to attack us first, but we should at least agree to talk to the human ambassador on the issue of the Alliance to join the Citadel."

"Fine." Sparatus said. "I will agree to negotiations, but I can't guarantee our government will take the news so lightly."

"We never had a bad relationship with the Alliance." Sarltin spoke. "However this is still unnerving to think that we'll agree to this policy. Not to mention that my new replacement, Valern will have to deal with what decision I have to make today. This issue in particular was not what I had in mind. Then again, that's politics and I hope my replacement is just as sharp as my predecessors."

"Look." Tevos said. "This has been a productive discussion weather we have known it or not. I think we should all break for lunch and see if we see differently after we had a meal in our bellies."

Sparatus gave a quick smile. "Well if we're about to save credits from spending warships at least we can spend our hard earned money on a decent place to eat."

"Agreed." Sarltin said as he stood up. "I know a great hanar place. They also have a dextro-base meal selection, I hear it's delicious. Care to go?" Sparatus nodded then Sarltin looked at Tevos. "Interested?"

"Alright." Tevos said. "I guess I can put up with a hanar waiter saying _'This one humbly would like to know'_ with any of my orders." She let out a soft laugh.

* * *

**THE CITADEL**

**THE SYSTEMS ALLIANCE EMBASSY**

**JUNE 10, 2180**

Dominic Osoba, the representative of the Systems Alliance was calmly filling paperwork only passing the time when someone has to file another report of someone from the Alliance gets into trouble with Citadel Security. Then it will be his job to help out the ones in trouble on the issues of charges and fees. All too often there would be a complication between some human and some turian, usually over a heated discussion over the First Contact war or what the turians would simply call it, the Relay 314 incident. Often these disagreements would be around an establishment that served alcohol.

The only silver lining was that these _disagreements_ were now turning towards the common hate for batarians and since there were no batarians around to defend themselves from such allegations. So equal distrust for batarians from both human and turian seemed to be the mutual ground these days.

This inspired Osoba to take a break and watch an old security feed he had to witness when he had to defend a human podborn from harassment from some batarian protester a year ago. It was that one such incident happened between a human and a batarian passing by one day. "_Out of the way! Human scum!"_ The angry batarian pointed at the human passer-byer.

The human would only respond saying. _"You need to watch yourself, four-eyes!"_ The batarian then pulled out a pistol and pointed at the human podborn. The podborn human saw what he was doing and said. _"Are you sure you know what you're doing?"_

_"Fuck your race and fuck your Oracle! I know that you need to die!"_ The batarian exclaimed.

_"Then you better kill me."_The human said calmly as the batarian squeezed the trigger. Only thing was that the human quickly bobbed out of the way and swung his left hand to knock the pistol out of the batarian's hand. After the batarian was disarmed, the human struck the batarian's midsection with a quick punch and to top it off, the human swung a roundhouse kick to the batarian's head. The batarian was out of the fight.

Five seconds later, C-Sec came and arrested the human while the batarian was taken to a hospital. This is the kind of things Osoba needed to prove his clients innocent. Especially when that batarian was starting the fight.

"Sir?" A voice from the vid com on Osoba's desk called. It was his personal assistant.

"Yes, Casey?" Osoba responded.

"You are being requested an audience with the Prime Minister." Casey told him.

"Thank you." Osoba adjusted his seat back and pressed a few buttons on the arm of his chair. "I will be in communication with the prime minister, Casey. Hold my calls."

"Yes sir." Casey responded.

As Casey's vid com turned off, a snake-like wire emerged from the base of the chair. Like a snake, the wire slithered along the back of the chair and moved up to the back of Osoba's head where it found the node on the back of his head. Recognizing that this human was a podborn, the wire automatically exposed a wire from its sheath. Then the wire plugged into the back of his head.

Osoba felt a slight pinch and squeezed his eyes tight. Then he opened his eyes and found himself inside what looked like an old study room from what looked like a scene from an old 19th century novel, depicting Britain during the Victorian period. He looked to his right and saw old leather bound books on solid oak shelves. He observed a roaring fire with two crossed Enfield rifles and the Royal seal of the British Empire hanging over the mantle. Then he saw two empty leather chairs along with a stand holding a bottle of scotch and two empty glasses.

The door to the room opened and walked in Christopher Daniels, Prime Minister of the Systems Alliance. He was an elderly gentleman, somewhere around seventy to eighty years of age. He was wearing a 19th century style of suit. _Perhaps he has a bit of fascination with this time and era_ thought Osoba.

Daniels saw Osoba and said. "Ah, ambassador. Please have a seat." Osoba did as his Prime Mminister asked of him and sat on what was a rather comfortable chair. As Daniels sat he asked. "Would you like a drink?"

"Not right now, sir." Osoba continued. "What is this…" He tried to continue, but Daniels stopped him.

"This little area of the Matrix is where I relax and unwind." Daniels explained. "It's private and that's why I want to use this area to discuss what I'm about to say to you."

"I'm listening sir." Osoba said.

"I figure that you would want to hear this first, but I just got word that the Council wants to make a deal with the Alliance." Daniels swallowed his breath. "That means they want to make us part of the Council, regardless of our ties with the Matrix."

"That's great news." Osoba said.

"I know." Daniels opens the bottle of scotch and pours himself a glass. Then he freely pours a glass for Osoba. "It also means that now the Council must know that we are holding all the cards."

"That's not true, is it?" Osoba questioned Daniels.

"Not that I know of, but what's important is that Council thinks we do." Daniels sips his scotch. "However, the news is not all that great. First off this means we will move the embassy closer to the Presidium and you will be given a fifty percent raise in salary."

Osoba had a smile and a confused look on his face. "That doesn't sound bad at all. Why would you say…?"

"I'm getting to that." Daniels said while looking at his glass. "You are going to change job titles. I'm going to appoint Senator Udina as the new ambassador to the Alliance. Your new title is going to be advisor to Udina."

Osoba eyes widened when he heard those words. He just wanted to punch this man out for such a comment. He saw his scotch and he downed it in one gulp. He shook his head in disbelief and just wanted to yell obscenities at his Prime Minister, yet his personal control of his actions came in. All the now dethroned ambassador was now just want to put his fight into his words.

"How could you do this to me?" Osoba shouted. "I have served as ambassador since the Embassy opened! I know the races and their policies better than they know their own! Now you want to replace me with this career politician?"

"I'm not disputing your performance, Dominic." Daniels tried to calm him down. "You have served your duties with vigor, but I need for you to step down."

"For what reasons?" Osoba demanded. "I was always cautious when meeting with dignitaries of other species for God's sake! I know my way around Citadel politics!"

"That is why." Daniels explained. "That is why. You have been passive towards the Citadel races for years and keeping the Alliance's nose clean. Now we are going to need a new strategy if we are going to take a more active role. Udina can deliver that role and because of your experience with dealing with the Citadel races, you have to act as his advisor. That is why you were picked for this."

Osoba places his hands over his eyes. "This is nothing more than a glorified demotion! What if I choose to resign?"

"That's enough!" Daniels got up from his chair. "I will not hear any more about resignation! I picked Udina, because he's a man that can get things done! You are going to be his advisor, because you can give him the tools to get the job done! The Alliance needs you. He needs you. I need you. I'm sorry for this change of events, but you know logically that this is the right thing to do." Osoba remained quiet. "Take the rest of the week off and return on Monday. That's when we're going to begin discussion with the Council and we are bringing a template of the Matrix with us. When you return Monday, I need for you to talk with Udina before the negotiations begin."

"Yes, sir." Osoba sounding defeated, walks out the room, opening the solid oak door.

Osoba wakes up and finds himself in his office in the Alliance Embassy on the Citadel. He straightens up his seat and takes a deep breath. He presses down on the vid com. "Casey. I'm afraid something has come up. I'm taking the rest of the week off. I'll be back on Monday."

"Yes ambassador." Casey said.

Osoba grabbed a few of his things and walked out of the embassy and preceded to the nearest bar he can find. _Perhaps one where fights between turians and humans broke out in the past_. He thought to himself.

* * *

Prime Minister Daniels sat back down on his chair, still in the Matrix. He glanced over to his side and saw a letter folded and sealed with a red waxed seal. He broke the seal then he reads the letter.

After a few minutes of reading, he pressed his two fingers on his neck to make a contact to the outside world.

"Operator." The Voice on the other end said.

"Yes, it's me." Daniels said. "I'm going to wake up, because I just got message that a marine unit was massacred on a planet called Akuze. Only Commander Shepard survived. I need you to punch up as much data as you can about what has happened."

"Yes, Mr. Prime Minister. Operator out." The voice ended transmission.

Daniels poured another drink from his bottle and proceeded to drink the rest of its contents.

* * *

_**A/V:** Ah, thanks for being patient. I'm still on vacation, but I manage to find a little time to this story. I hope it's you like the story so far._

_I also wanted to say that "yes" I made Shepard a War Hero and a Sole Survivor. The years may be slightly off, but I wanted my Shepard to be the best of both worlds. That's also why I made him a son of Spacers while being raised on Earth (without the gang history). I hope to alleviate some confusion that might have occurred. _


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5**

**THE CITADEL**

**THE CITADEL TOWER**

**JUNE 15, 2180**

The people of the Citadel massed around the Citadel Tower in droves when word broke out when the Systems Alliance was about to be granted status among the Citadel races. It was an interesting time for the next coming years. For the coming events means that more humans will be able to travel freely through Citadel space and not just within the territory of the Systems Alliance or risking the unknown in the Terminus systems.

Some of the races that came, came to protest the admittance of the Alliance. The protesters were mostly turians. Claiming on the grounds of A.I. violations, but obviously for prejudice feelings towards humans. The others who came are curious to see how this event will turn out to be.

Petitioner's Stage was a platform hovering over a park. The park was covered with a series of glass pane, keeping the image pristine and pure from anyone throwing any trash over the ledges. On the stage were two podborn humans, advisor Dominic Osoba and his assistant Casey. Sharing the stage was two freeborn humans, the newly appointed Ambassador Donnel Udina and his personal assistant. As the four humans were waiting for the Council to show up, two humans assembled a circular pod on the floor. It was the platform for the Matrix template.

The room when silent when one of the C-Sec agents called attention to the entrance of the Council. In order, the turian delegate Sparatus came out first. Then the asari delegate Matriarch Tevos followed. Then last the salarian delegate Sarltin came trailing up behind the two.

The three representatives stood behind their assigned consoles and Tevos announced. "All eyes to the Council!" All the people witnessing the affair turn their eyes to the three beings on the main stage. "This Council has called the representatives of the Council space to bear witness today of the events about to unfold! Today we decide if the Systems Alliance is ready to accept the responsibility of joining Citadel space! Are all delegates of the Systems Alliance ready to continue?" Tevos asked the four delegates.

"Yes we are." Udina answered.

"I understand that your Matrix template is suppose to be present as well?" Sparatus added. "Why don't you turn it on…I mean bring it here." Sparatus let out a small smile.

"Indeed." Udina walks over to the circular platform and activated the device.

A green image flashed on to life and a holographic projection of a humanoid figure appeared before the Council. The image didn't have any appearance other than a humanoid form. The outer layer of skin was giving the simulation of rain, yet this was not water but it was raining green numerical symbols in both Arabic and Chinese scriptures. This was the template for the Matrix.

"Greetings Council." The voice spoke to the representatives with the eerily sound of what sound like a thousand voices speaking at once. "The delegates of the Systems Alliance is ready."

"Umm…yes." Sarltin felt the voice to be creepy and made him slightly uncomfortable. "This is your official petition hearing to see if your human species is ready for…I mean if all of humanity is ready for admittance into Council space."

"You seem rather uncomfortable with our presence, Ambassador Sarltin of the Salarian Union." The template said. "Perhaps this will make you all feel at ease."

The humanoid image transformed before the Council. The image turned into an elderly man with white hair and white beard. He wore a gray three piece suit, polished black shoes, and carrying a cane. "Greetings Council. I am the Architect."

"The Architect of what, exactly?" Sparatus asked in a demanding way.

"I'm the Architect of the Matrix." The Architect shuffled his virtual suit and looked at the three councilmen with absolutely no expression on his face.

After a moment of awkward silence, Tevos broke the silence. "Anyway, the Citadel Council has made a decision to allow the Systems Alliance into joining the Citadel community despite the creation of A.I. However, your government has proven that your species can contribute to the galaxy as a whole. There are some issues we must discuss if you wish to join."

"The issue of downgrading the Matrix has been already discussed before." Udina blurted out but the Architect held up his had to signal Udina to stop while Osoba's eyes rolled back in disgust.

"Ambassador Udina has a point, Matriarch Tevos." The Architect said. "What was discussed during the last petition to allow us into the good graces of the Council was that the Matrix would be downgraded into the level of a Virtual Intelligence system. I'm afraid that me and the rest of the Matrix cannot allow that to happen."

Tevos raised her hand. "I understand your mistrust and we are now allowing the Alliance, without changes to the Matrix. The A.I. function will not be tampered, however further advancements to the Matrix will be forbidden…if you choose to join."

"That's understandable." The Architect said. "Now I must understand that there must be more to compromise?"

"Actually I have a question." Sparatus asked. "How is it that a simple start up species like humans were barely discovering the Mass Relays, yet they were armed with weapons and armor that would've taken a normal species longer to create?"

"Quite easy." The Architect said. "Usually the humans think up these ideas, because the human imagination is quite strong. Formulas and diagrams are drawn out and then the ideas are ran through the Matrix where millions upon millions of scenarios are tested out to make sure the chemical formulas are compatible with the technology to see if it will work perfectly. These tests can take up to a matter of days what would normally take a matter of years or decades. In short the weapons and armor was just broken down to its basic elements and built back up for something more efficient. I understand the weapons and armor are quite popular among the krogan clans."

Sparatus slightly scowled as Tevos stared disapprovingly at the turian diplomat. Then the asari looked at the Architect. "Well one of the things we wanted to talk to you was your contacts with species that have not been approved by Council rules."

"Ah, you mean the quarians and the krogan." The Architect said. "Aliens. More predictable than humans." His response got glares of disgust from the Council. "I'm afraid this type of discussion is out of my expertise."

The Matrix template pod shimmered. The Architect disappeared and a new image appeared in his absence. It was a darken skin woman wearing a maroon colored gown. "Greetings Council. I am the Oracle. I must apologize for the Architect's last comment. He was not programmed with common courtesy."

"I see." Sarltin said. "Then we want to talk to you about your alliance with the Migrant Fleet and your open policy towards the krogan clans?"

"Well then." The Oracle began to speak. "Yes we admit to making friends that would give the Council a pause. You must also understand that when you are on your own in the universe and just reeling in from a war from first contact with another species, looking for allies is the first thing one must do to survive. Yes, I made the call to help out the quarians. I helped, because they were a species on the verge of extinction. They had the largest fleet in the galaxy to help us defend us from potential attacks from the Turian Hierarchy. It was a natural agreement. The krogan is a species stuck in its past and relying on old customs that were not just out dated, but slowly killing their race. If helping the krogan find unity and other alternatives to their deadly lifestyle, we will help. I saw the potential in both species."

"Yes, but both species have been barred from Citadel politics." Sarltin said. "If you want to join the Citadel, you must simply boot these two mistakes out of your contact."

"Yes." Sparatus spoke along to Sarltin's frustration. "We've researched your history, when your predeceasing machines wanted a seat on Earth's old United Nations and was turned down following a war with the humans. You're repeating history. You are walking on thin ice now that your machine/human race wants a seat on the Council."

Crowds began to uproar from both the turian's and salarian's comment. It turns out there were some krogan and quarians in the audience that nobody had anticipated. What was also amazing is that some of the other species were shouting at the Council for that last remark. It would be that the opinion of the quarian and krogan had changed within ten years of Alliance diplomacy.

The Oracle did something that she didn't do in a long time. She scowled at the thought of severing all ties with the quarians and krogan. Then bringing up the history what was the starting point of the Human/Machine War, that was the final straw.

The Oracle pointed her finger at Sarltin. "Don't talk to me about our past and don't you tell me about the krogan being a mistake! What was a mistake was uplifting the krogan from their homeworld, just so you can have a whole race of soldiers fight the rachni to extinction for your own benefit! When the deed was done, did you help the krogan give them the skills to adjust living among the stars? No! You just gave them a statue in the Presidium and planets to colonize and let them out of control! They grew too big to handle and started their rebellion! You salarians committed an atrocity by creating the Genophage that killed millions of unborn krogan children." She looks at Tevos. "What about the quarians? I believe this was the same spot three hundred years ago where the quarians were slaughtered on their homeworlds by the geth! They asked for help, but you turned them away! You wouldn't even allow them to colonize a new planet to save their surviving few numbers, so you forced them to fend for themselves on a derelict fleet and even today treated like 2nd class citizens by the rest of the Citadel species!" Then she points at Sparatus. "And you! You continue to threaten the humans and now the Matrix with your impotent threats!" Sparatus leapt back. "It seems that when you make mistakes, you just brush it away in bullshit politics and policy!"

When she finished berating the Council, thunderous applauds came from half of the onlookers. The loudest of the applauds came from the quarians and the krogan in the audience. It would seem that some other species joined in on the cheering. It seems like it's been a long time since someone told off the Council like that.

Osoba spoke quietly to Casey. "Nobody talks about mama's kids like that."

Tevos called for order while nervous C-Sec agents were trying to keep the peace. After a few minutes of shouting, all was quiet again. The Oracle spoke again. "Matriarch Tevos. Please. From one matriarch to another, you cannot turn your back on those who needs help."

Tevos looks at the two other Councilmen and she types up something on her Omni-tool. Sparatus and Sarltin types into their Omni-tools as well. She looks at the result of what the other two typed in and nods. "Representatives of the Systems Alliance, we have decided to…accept your petition to join Council space. However, the quarians and the krogan are going to be your responsibility. If anything happens that involves you or their types of governments, your status to the Citadel will be revoked. Welcome to the galactic community."

As the Oracle and the template from the Matrix fades away, the audience began to applaud for the performance. The cheers were becoming louder and louder as the human representatives suddenly became the local darlings of the hour. As the representatives began to leave, they were met with supportive quarians and some krogan.

* * *

Far away from the cheers and applause, Spectre agent Saren Arterius was watching the show from a distance. He did not like how the whole process went. He clenched his talons with anger as he saw the other races were suddenly liking this new race that just joined.

He said to himself. "This species needs to learn its place." He stormed away as he ordered a cab.

* * *

**A/N:** _I hope this new chapter will explain the creation of why Alliance armor and weapons are sought after by the krogan. This is a short chapter, but I wanted to push out another chapter. I'm looking foward to when Eden Prime gets attacked and I hope you're not disapointed._


	6. Chapter 6

_**A/N:**__ Here's a new chapter for The Matrix Effect saga. This chapter is a little longer than the others, but I wanted to keep it true to the Mass Effect story. The end of this chapter holds a special suprise entrance. Enjoy._

* * *

**CHAPTER 6**

Corporal Tombs kept running as fast as his legs could move. The only thing that would make a seasoned veteran such as himself to move so fast was what he had to tell his command.

Tombs found the makeshift base, which was created as a base of operations to look for survivors of the newly established colony of Akuze. The soldiers saw Tombs running past a number of confused soldiers. Some were concerned, because they knew Tombs was on scout duty…and he must've found something.

Tombs entered command center, desperately looking for someone. Then he found that someone. "Commander Shepard!" He quickly strode towards his commanding officer.

"Commander, sir." Tombs saluted.

"Tombs." Shepard returned the salute. "Did your scouts pick up anything?"

"Yes." Tombs said as he pulled out a report pad. "We found the colonists. This is what we found."

Shepard took the pad and read the report. After reading this news, he looks at Tombs. "Is this right?"

"I'm afraid so sir." Tombs responded.

"Where are the rest of your men?" Shepard demanded.

"They're gone, sir." Tomb's tone softened. "They didn't make it."

"What caused this?" Shepard demanded again.

"I think…I think…I saw a thresher maw." Tombs got the words out.

"Well we have to get this unit moving…" Shepard was cut short when the ground began to shake uncontrollably. He saw Tombs and from the look of his face, Tombs knew what was making this noise. "Everyone topside, now!"

All the soldiers rushed to their posts when Shepard gave the order. Despite the shaking of the ground, the men and women were keeping their eyes open for what could be out there.

With all eyes on the horizon, the soldiers waited for something to appear over the distance. A thresher maw was something that was rarely seen outside the planet of Tuchanka. Once in a while a maw was seen on other planets as a theory that like the rachni, the thresher maw could hurtle its spawn out into space and land on mostly uninhabitable planets. One popular theory suggests that the krogan brought infant maws to other planets in order to raise living weapons during the Krogan Rebellions. The reason no krogan would come forward with this knowledge, is because the ones responsible for raising the thresher maw was killed _trying to raise the thresher maw._

The ground kept shaking terribly until someone yelled _'Right flank!'_

A large hideous head rose attached with a worm-like body from the ground and gave out an ear shattering roar. After the creature's presence have been known, it opened its mouth and shot out a stream of dark green liquid.

Shepard closes his eyes and covers his face with his palms. Then he unshielded his eyes and saw the men and women under his command were all dead. Their bodies weren't riddled with bullet holes or shards of shrapnel tearing through a human body. Their bodies were melted. Melted from the dark green acid the thresher maw fired from its mouth. He shakes his head in disbelief as he saw both freeborn and podborn humans melted on the ground, leaving nothing more than their liquefied organs surrounding the sizzling skeletons inside their armor, while their skulls making a face in a perpetual yawn.

Shepard could do nothing but bathe in horror of its aftermath, walking around with the sense of confusion, disbelief, and denial. He wanted to scream, but nothing could come out. Then he felt a grip on his ankle. He looked down and saw a melting skeleton look up at Shepard and the skeleton said, gurgling its words. "You killed us, Commander. You killed us all."

* * *

Shepard woke up gasping for breath while soaking in sweat. He looked around his dark room and saw nothing. No skeletons, no battlefield, and no thresher maw. _Just a nightmare. _He caught his breath and sighed in relief that nobody was here. However, it was a constant nightmare he has had many times since he was found on Akuze.

Shepard was the only survivor of a maw attack and perhaps the only one to survive an attack from a thresher maw in centuries. His situation gave valuable insight on how the maw attacks their victims and has given scientists and the Alliance high command valuable knowledge of the creature's nature. "Such a heavy price to pay." Shepard would say to himself. Shepard walked over to the bathroom sink and he slapped his face with some cold water and dried it off with a towel. He looks at himself in the mirror and said to his reflection. "That's right war hero of the Skylian Blitz and lone survivor of Akuze. A heavy price."

Shepard walks over to his night stand and looks at the time. It said _3:44 a.m., Monday, March 12, 2183._ He browses over his latest orders and realizes that he is to report in less than three hours to the shuttle bay and he is to be taken to the Alliance's newest advanced frigate called the Normandy.

* * *

**THE CITADEL**

**SYSTEMS ALLIANCE EMBASSY**

**MARCH 5, 2183**

**Seven days ago.**

Ambassador Udina was in the presence before three holographic images. One image was Admiral Hackett. The second image was Captain Anderson. The third image was the Oracle. All four members of this meeting were deciding who would be the perfect candidate of being the first human to become one of the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance or Spectre for short. It was quite the opportunity for the Systems Alliance, because usually the role of Spectre was reserved for whichever individual represented the best of their species. Surprisingly much support for humans joining the Spectres came from the Turian Hierarchy since many progressive politicians on Palaven have been pushing to improve relations with the Systems Alliance. The moment this opportunity was presented, Udina naturally wanted to jump on this galactic bandwagon.

Now the four are surveying potential candidates for this praiseworthy role for humanity. Udina came to another name that made Hackett and Anderson smile in approval. "Well, what about Shepard? He's a podborn and a spacer. He's lived on starships for most of his life since he emerged from the Matrix."

Captain Anderson said. "Military service runs in the family. Both his parents were in the Navy."

Hackett added to the conversation. "He served well during the assault on Torfan, but he saw his whole unit die on Akuze. He could have some serious emotional scars."

"Every soldier has scars." Anderson added. "Shepard is a survivor."

Udina scoffed at what Anderson said. "Is that the kind of person we want protecting the galaxy?"

Anderson responded to Undina's remark. "That's the only kind of person who can protect the galaxy."

"What about you, Matriarch Oracle?" Udina said. "What's your input?"

"I know Shepard." She said. "Not just from his DNA, but from his actions in the past. Captain Anderson is right. He is the only kind of person who can protect the galaxy." She smiled as if she knows something that the rest of the group doesn't know. "I approve of him serving under your supervision…for the time being."

"I'll make the call." Udina said and he typed on his Omni-tool.

* * *

**SOL SYSTEM**

**SR1 NORMANDY**

**MARCH 14, 2183**

Shepard walked through the deck of the Normandy like a veteran member of the ship, although he was still brand new to the ship. _Come to think of it, everyone on this ship is brand new to it as well._ Shepard would think to himself. Nobody on the ship was new; this ship was operated by veterans with years of experience under their belts. The thing is that this ship was the latest to be operated by the Alliance and it was also operating on state-of-the-art technology. Not to mention that this ship was designed by the Turian Hierarchy's military in part of an outreach program to improve relations between humans and turians.

This ship was nothing like what the Alliance would design, having the pilot sitting in the front, navigators on port & starboard sides, and the commander giving the orders on the aft side of command center. This ship was not human or Matrix design. This ship was definitely turian in style and method.

As the ship was moving around the orbit of Jupiter, Shepard entered the command center and saw a number of people operating the ship at its full capacity. He had to maneuver around the ship's doctor, Dr. Karin Chakwas. She was a podborn human who is at least around her mid seventies to early eighties. It would seem most likely that she had been around the first generation of podborns when she was just a child. She was talking to Corporal Jenkins, a young freeborn human. Most likely she was making small talk with the soldier, because she was the kind of woman that would like to get to know the crew on a personal basis. Shepard knew that Dr. Chakwas, Corporal Jenkins, and a Staff Lieutenant biotic named Kaidan Alenko had served together on their last ship, since the three seem to know each other so well.

The voice over the intercom was announced by the ship's pilot. "The Arcturus Prime relay is in range. Initiating transmission sequence." The pilot's name was Flight Lieutenant Jeff Moreau. If memory served Shepard correctly, some crewmen call him 'Joker' for some reason. He didn't know why the name, but he'll eventually find out soon as he approaches to the front of the ship. "We are connected. Calculating transit mass and destination. The relay is hot. Acquiring approach vector." Shepard entered the elongated deck witch sat crewmembers on opposite sides of the gangway. The pilot talked again. "All stations secure for transit."

As Shepard approached the cockpit, he noticed a turian standing behind both the pilot and Kaiden Alenko, who was sitting in the seat next to Jeff Moreau. "The board is green. Approach run has begun." Jeff said again as Shepard looked out the cockpit's window and saw an image similar to a large tuning fork. The Mass Relay.

The Normandy approached the object while the Relay's axis turrets kept spinning at a counter-clockwise motion surrounding a bright blue glow in its core.

"Hitting the relay in three…two…one." Jeff announced as a blue stream emulating from the Relay's core danced around the Normandy's hull. Then all of a sudden, the Normandy was nothing more than a blue streak across space and possibly time.

Jeff Moreau was compiling the numbers of their latest jump into space, as the turian standing behind him was watching. The turian naturally made the human crewmembers nervous, especially when this turian was in all accounts a Spectre. His name was Nihlus. Shepard didn't get his last name yet, but he saw the turian colonial face tattoo. It was white and covered mostly his face. For some reason it is customary for turians to place some ink on their faces to identify the ethnicity among their own species.

Jeff ran a verbal checklist. "Thrusters…check. Navigation…check. Internal emissions engaged. All systems online. Drift…under 1500 K."

"1500 is good. Your captain will be pleased." Nihlus said as he walks out of the cockpit.

As soon as it was safe to speak, Jeff said quietly to Alenko next to him. "I hate that guy."

Kaiden responded. "Nihlus gave you a compliment…so you hate him?"

Jeff responded to Alenko's questioning. "You remember to zip up your on the way to the bathroom? That's good. I just jumped us halfway across the galaxy and hit a target the size of a pinhead. So that's incredible!" Jeff continues his rant. "Besides, Spectres are trouble. I don't like having him on board. Call me paranoid."

Kaiden responds. "You're paranoid. The Council helped fund this project. They have a right to send someone to keep an eye on their investment."

Jeff looks at Kaiden for a moment and said. "Yeah, that's the official story. But only an idiot believes the official story."

Shepard thought of what Jeff said and agreed with what he said. "They don't send Spectres on shakedown runs."

Jeff adds. "So there's more going on here than the captain's letting on."

Jeff's voice was cut short when Captain Anderson's voice cracked over the intercom. "Joker! Status report."

"Just cleared the Mass Relay, Captain. Stealth systems engaged. Everything looks solid." Jeff responded.

Anderson answers back. "Good. Find a comm buoy and link us into the network. I want mission reports relayed back to Alliance brass before we reach Eden Prime."

"Aye, aye, Captain." Jeff said. "Better brace yourself, sir. I think Nihlus is headed your way."

"He's already here, Lieutenant." Anderson said with a lower toned voice. "Tell Commander Shepard to meet me in the comm room for a debriefing." Then Anderson's voice went silent.

"Did you get that, Commander?" Jeff asked.

"He sounds angry." Shepard said. "Something must have gone wrong with the mission."

Jeff scoffed at the idea. "Captain always sound like that when he's talking to me."

Kaiden responds. "I can't possibly imagine why."

Shepard walks out of the cockpit and towards the comm room, which is located at the back of the command center.

Jeff looks around to see if Shepard is out of hearing distance and talks to Kaiden quietly again. "Don't have strong feelings for podborn officers either."

Kaiden jerks his head to the left and said. "Now you got a problem with podborn humans too? You're just full of love, aren't you?"

"I hate the Spectre." Jeff explains himself. "I just don't like podborns. There's a difference."

"Why's that?" Kaiden asked.

Jeff added. "I know they are humans like us, but I don't like the fact that a podborn can do my job by downloading all this knowledge of piloting in minutes to what took me years to learn. If the Captain decides to replace me with the Commander, he could. Then my usefulness is gone like that of the dodo bird."

"So it's out of envy?" Kaiden said.

"Envy?" Jeff shook his head. "Surrounded by pink slime for the beginning of my life and being a battery for the Matrix? Why would I want to be stuck in one spot for a long period of time, being forced in a tight crammed area, being told what to do by computers and intercoms…" Then Jeff paused and Kaiden leaned over and made a smirk towards Jeff. "I just burned myself, didn't I?"

"Yeah, you did." Kaiden nodded.

"I'll just shut up now." Jeff continued to compile some data.

"Best idea you had all day." Kaiden smiled and punched up his own data.

* * *

After having a chat with Navigator Pressly, Corporal Jenkins, and Dr. Chakwas; Shepard continued towards the comm room. Inside the comm room, Nihlus had his back turned towards Shepard as he was working on a communications console. When Nihlus knew Shepard was in the room, he turned to face the human.

"Commander Shepard." Nihlus said. "I was hoping you'd get here first. It will give us a chance to talk."

"The Captain said he'd meet me here." Shepard said.

"He's on his way." Nihlus strides a couple of paces to the side. "I'm interested in this world we're going to –Eden Prime. I've heard it's quite beautiful."

"They say it's a paradise." Shepard commented. "Matter of fact, Corporal Jenkins is from that world."

Nihlus takes another breath and says. "Yes…a paradise. Serene. Tranquil. Safe. Eden Prime has become something of a symbol for your people, hasn't it? Proof that humanity can not only establish colonies across the galaxy, but also protect them. But how safe is it, really?"

"Do you know something?" Shepard used his suspicious tone.

"Your people are still newcomers, Shepard." Nihlus said. "The galaxy can be a dangerous place." He folded his arms and faced Shepard. "Is the Alliance truly ready for this?"

Before Shepard could answer the turian with a smart remark, Captain Anderson walks into the room. The Captain was a freeborn human officer with darken skin and thirty years of combat wisdom to add. He looks seriously at Shepard. "I think it's about time we told the commander what's really going on."

Nihlus speaks up. "This mission is far more than a simple shakedown run."

Shepard looks at Anderson. "I figured there was something you weren't telling us."

Anderson stared at Shepard and confessed. "We're making a covert pick-up on Eden Prime. That's why we need the stealth systems operational."

_Why the secrecy_ Shepard thought. "There must be a reason you didn't tell me about this, sir."

"This comes from the top, Commander." Anderson explained. "Information strictly on a need-to-know basis. A research team on Eden Prime unearthed some kind of beacon during an excavation. It was Prothean."

"I thought the Protheans vanished 50,000 years ago." Shepard said.

Nihlus answered Shepard's question. "Their legacy remains. The Mass Relays, the Citadel, our ship drives - all based on Prothean technology."

Anderson raised his hands. "This is big Shepard. The last time humanity made a discovery like this, it jumped our technology forward _one hundred years_. But Eden Prime doesn't have the facilities to handle something like this. We need to bring the beacon back to the Citadel for proper study."

"The Citadel?" Shepard questioned the decision. "Captain. Eden Prime is a colony of the Alliance. We should be taking it back to Earth. The Matrix is capable of handling this sort of research."

"It's too risky." Anderson said. "We don't know what this thing can do. It could even corrupt the Matrix or even destroy it."

"Besides, this goes beyond mere human interests, Commander." Nihlus said. "This discovery could affect every species in Council Space."

"Why can't we keep it for ourselves?" Shepard questioned.

"You humans, both podborn and freeborn, don't have the best reputation." Nihlus said. "Some species see you as selfish. Too unpredictable. Too independent. Even dangerous."

"You clearly haven't met any quarians, have you?" Shepard rebutted.

Anderson took control of the conversation. "Sharing that beacon will improve relation with the Council. Plus, we need their scientific expertise. They know more about the Protheans than we do."

"Captain." Shepard said. "I understand for improving relations with the Council species." Shepard said. "But we have done well by ourselves, up until three years ago."

Nihlus paced to the side and looked at Shepard. "Your right, Shepard. You may be the up and coming new species, however I am impressed how the Alliance was able to stand on its own without Council support for all that time. Since the Alliance joined three years ago, there have been a lot of catching up to do to bring the Alliance and the Council relations a little closer." He takes a deep breath. "Which brings me to the next topic. The beacon's not the only reason why I'm here, Shepard."

"Nihlus wants to see you in action, Commander." Anderson perked up. "He's here to evaluate you."

Shepard stares at Nilhus and looks back at Anderson. "Guess that explains why I bump into him every time I turn around."

"The Alliance have been pushing for this for a long time." Anderson said. "Humanity wants a larger role in shaping interstellar policy. We want more say with the Citadel Council. The Spectres represent the Council's power authority. If they accept a human into their ranks, it shows how far the Alliance has come in the short time we have joined the Citadel community."

Nihlus looked at Shepard. "You led the assault on the battle of Torfan and you were the sole survivor of a thresher maw attack on Akuze. You showed not only courage but also incredible skill. That's why I put your name forward as a candidate for the Spectres."

"Why would a turian want a human in the Spectres?" Shepard asked.

"Not all turians resent humanity." Nihlus said. "Some of us see the potential of your species. We see what you have to offer to the rest of the galaxy…and to the Spectres. We are an elite group. It's rare to find an individual with the skills we seek. I don't care that you're human, Shepard. I only care that you can do the job."

Shepard talks to Anderson. "I assume this is good for the Alliance."

"Earth needs this, Shepard. We're counting on you." Anderson responded.

"I need to see your skills for myself, Commander." Nihlus said. "Eden Prime will be the first of several missions together."

"You'll be in charge of the ground team." Anderson said. "Secure the beacon and get it onto the ship ASAP. Nihlus will accompany you to observe the mission."

"What can you tell me about the Protheans." Shepard asked.

"Just what they taught us in school." Anderson said. "They were a technologically-advanced species that ruled the galaxy 50,000 years ago. Then they vanished. Nobody really knows how or why, though I've heard plenty of theories. But everyone agrees galactic civilization wouldn't exist without them."

Then Nihlus added. "Their Citadel is the very heart of galactic society. And without their mass relays, interstellar travel would be impossible. We owe the Protheans a great debt."

Realizing that this conversation was about to drag on into a pointless history lesson, Shepard changed the subject and he wanted the two to know he was ready to go. "Just give the word, Captain."

"We should be getting close to Eden…" Anderson was cut off at mid sentence by Jeff or now the new name to Shepard is Joker interrupted on the intercom.

"Captain. We have a problem." Joker announced.

"What's wrong Joker." Anderson said.

"Transmission from Eden Prime, sir." Joker said. "You better see this."

Anderson hesitated for a moment and gave Joker an order. "Bring it up on screen."

The wall behind was actually a screen and it flickered to life to show what Joker had been talking about. A battle was ensuing from the point of view of a soldier's helmet camera. Soldiers on the ground were opening fire on some unknown enemy. The helmet camera was looking at what appeared to be a female soldier, wearing white armor with pink trimmings. The female ran towards the soldier with the helmet camera and yelled at the soldier. "Get down!" Then she fired rounds at the unknown.

Then the shaking and the moving focused on an officer calling for help. "We are under attack! Taking heavy casualties! I repeat: heavy casualties! We can't…argh! Evac! They came out of nowhere! We need…" Then the officer fell back and died when something hit him.

The soldiers kept firing at the unknown, then some jaws began to drop when something showed. The soldier with the helmet camera turned around and saw something massive and black landing. Then the screen went blank.

"Everything cuts out after that." Joker said. "No comm traffic at all. Just goes dead. There's nothing."

"Reverse and hold at 38.5." Anderson ordered. The image paused and it appeared to be a massive black arthropod shaped ship, landing on the ground. It had lightning bolts emitting out of the crevasses of the legs. "Status report."

"Seventeen minutes out, Captain." Joker said. "No other Alliance ships in the area."

"Take us in, Joker." Anderson said. "Fast and quiet. This mission just got a lot more complicated."

Nihlus said. "A small strike team can move quickly without drawing attention. It's our best chance to secure the beacon."

"Grab your gear and meet us in the cargo hold." Anderson said to Nihlus and he walks out of the room. Then he looks at Shepard. "Tell Alenko and Jenkins to suit up, Commander. You're going in."

Shepard silently acknowledged Anderson's order and stared inquisitively at the arthropod ship.

* * *

The Normandy entered the orbit of Eden Prime and flew past the various towers that seem unaffected by the surprise attack. As the ship approached to where the distress call came from, Captain Anderson approached Commander Shepard, Lieutenant Alenko, and Corporal Jenkins. All three men wore similar body armor and helmets, but Shepard had a red trim to the side and the symbol N7 written on the upper left corner of his chest plate, to signify that he's an N7 qualified marine. The logo tends to show that this man or woman is part of an elite group of marines that serve the Alliance and used to high risk missions.

Captain Anderson stood before the three men and gave them an impromptu speech before the mission begins. "Your team's the muscle in this operation, Commander. Go in heavy and head straight for the dig site."

Kaiden asked. "What about survivors, Captain?"

"Helping survivors is a secondary objective." Anderson said. "The beacon's your top priority."

Joker announced. "Approaching drop point one." He said and the ship came to a stop.

Jenkins turns his head to his left and asks Nihlus, who was standing beside Anderson and checking his shotgun. "Nihlus? You're coming with us?"

"I move faster on my own." Nihlus casually responds as he quickly exit out of the Normandy through its cargo hold. As soon as he leaves the ship, the Normandy takes off to the next drop point.

Anderson continued his orders. "Nihlus will scout out ahead. He'll feed you status reports throughout the mission; otherwise, I want radio silence."

Shepard responds. "We've got his back, Captain."

Anderson told Shepard what he needed to know. "The mission's yours now, Shepard. Good luck."

The Normandy approaches the drop point and Joker announces where they are at. "We are approaching drop point two." A moment later, the three soldiers got out of the Normandy with their rifles drawn.

As the three men surveyed the landscape, Nihlus called in. "This place got hit hard, Commander. Hostiles everywhere. Keep your guard up."

At this point, Jenkins was going to act as a guide for Shepard and Kaiden. This was his home planet and only he would know what to shoot at and where not to step. The three men were feeling the presence of something that didn't feel right as they approached over a hill. Then Jenkins said. "Oh, god. What happened here?"

Jenkins was referring to the towers over the horizon. The towers and the city below it were on fire. The men were standing before the threshold of the attacks that took place. They kept their eyes sharp for any potential threats.

Shepard used a hand gesture to halt all movements. He got to one knee and looked for anything suspicious. He visually ordered Jenkins to take point. Jenkins complied with the order and Jenkins lead on ahead while Shepard and Kaiden covered the left and right flanks.

Out of nowhere, two hovering pods appeared from around a hill. They were disk-shaped with a horizontal white light in the front. Attached below was a single barrel, what looked like a barrel to an assault rifle. The flying disks opened fire and unfortunately the target they chose was Jenkins. The man slumped back from the shoots fired.

Shepard and Kaiden open fire on the disk-shaped pods. The pods kept firing and kept bobbing and weaving to avoid getting hit, but both men managed to take down the killer disks.

Shepard and Kaiden ran up to Jenkins to see if there was any life left in the soldier. Alenko checked his body, but there was no pulse. Jenkins had a gaping hole where the neck met the chest on his body armor. Jenkins was dead.

Kaiden closed Jenkins eyes and said to Shepard. "The armor and shields held up, but the kill shot was here. This was the armor's weak point. Those things knew where to hit and it was precision marksmanship. It was as if they knew where to fire."

Shepard only said. "We'll see that he receives a proper service once the mission is complete." Then he points to Kaiden. "But I need you to stay focused."

"Aye, aye, sir." Kaiden responds.

The two men pressed on, only to find more of those flying disks waiting for the remaining two men. This time they dodged for cover as the disks tried to take the two men out, but Shepard and Kaiden took the disks out without trouble.

Nihlus radioed in and said. "I've got some burned out buildings here, Shepard. A lot of bodies. I'm going to check it out. I'll try to catch up with you at the dig site."

Shepard did just that and pushed onwards as he cleared another area filled with the flying disks. He and Kaiden moved into an open area, and noticed a figure moving below them. As Shepard takes a closer look, it looks like the same female soldier that was on the combat footage on the Normandy.

The woman was running from something, but he didn't know what. Then he knew she was being chased by some of those flying disks. She kept running until she stumbled, only as quickly when she drew her pistol out and shot the disks. As she finished off the disks, two strange biped creatures was placing a colonist on some circular platform. She was still on the ground only to observe what the biped creatures were doing.

As the woman kept looking, she noticed two more biped creatures close by. The biped creatures had strange skin and tubes coming out of their bodies. They had three fingers on each hand, two toes on each foot, and an elongated head that stretched out like a brontosaurus from the dinosaur era. Their face only had a light and it reminded her of a flashlight.

As the creatures placed the colonist on the platform, a spike shoot up from its base. The colonist was brutally impaled on this device. The woman gasped in horror when she saw what they did, then the creatures brought out their next victim. From what she could see from this colonist, this one was a podborn human. _He must be unconscious _she thought to herself as the creatures load him on the next platform. The same spikes shoot out like the last man, but this time something more horrifying happened. The victim's body was shuddering uncontrollably only to have the body explode. Bits of body parts, flesh, and blood rained around the area. _Oh, god._ She screamed in silence as she got up, catching the attention of the creatures.

The woman hid behind a rock, only to be followed by the creatures. She drew her rifle out to be ready for anything, so she won't end up like those two poor bastards she witnessed getting brutally killed.

Shepard and Kaiden saw the four strange creatures trapping the woman, so naturally it was up to them to save this besieged woman from the rock by giving her assistance. Shepard and Kaiden decided to aim for the creature's heads where the lights were coming from. Putting them down was not a problem for the two experienced soldiers and it would appear that the woman next to them wasn't having any trouble either. Their combined strength helped push back and destroy the bipedal creatures.

When it was all clear, Shepard and Kaiden approached the woman. "Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams of the 212. You the one in charge here, sir?"

Shepard responds with an order. "Give me a status report, Williams."

The woman, now Ashley Williams, sunk her head and started to speak. "Oh, man… We were patrolling the perimeter when the attack hit." She walked over to the right and pointed in the direction. "We tried to get off a distress call, but they cut off our communications. I've been fighting for my life ever since."

"Where's the rest of your squad?" Shepard asked.

"We tried to double back to the beacon. But we walked into an ambush." Ashley sighed. "I don't think any of the others… I think I'm the only one left."

Shepard responded. "This isn't your fault, Williams. You couldn't have done anything to save them."

"Yes, sir." Ashley said. "We held our position as long as we could. Until the geth overwhelmed us."

"The geth?" Kaiden said. "The geth haven't been seen outside the Veil in nearly 200 years. Why are they here now?"

"Well, I could blame the quarians." Ashley said. "But the only quarians here are the ones on their pilgrimage and I doubt geth would want to kill a bunch of kids on their version of college. So they must have come for the beacon. The dig site is close. Just over that rise. It might still be there."

"We could use your help, Williams." Shepard said.

"Aye, aye, sir." She snapped. "Time for some payback."

The trio perused to the location of the dig site. Ashley mentioned about another unit called the 232 being present around the area, but she haven't heard anything from them either.

As they approached the dig site, Shepard, Ashley, and Kaiden heard strange noises coming from the vicinity of the site. They approached to the site faster only to see three geth troopers trying to shoot at someone trapped behind a crate. As the geth soldiers aimed their rifles at the crate, a man in black armor jumped out from his cover. He gave the nearest geth soldier a damaging kick to its head and used a pistol in the other hand to shoot it dead. Then the man took cover again behind a stone mound. When the remaining geth tried to advance on the man, he leaped to the side and open fire while he dived on the floor of the ruins. The two remaining geth that were trying to kill him were destroyed.

As the man wearing the black armor was checking out the mechanical bodies, one geth was sneaking up behind the man. As the geth was about to pull the trigger on its rifle, the head immediately exploded. The man turned around and realized that a geth was about to kill him with his back turned. He looked up to see who had saved him and saw a marine, wearing N7 armor pointing a rifle down his direction. The man could do nothing, but wave.

Shepard and his company walked down to the dig site to see how this man was doing. _Was he part of Ashley's unit? Was he part of 232?_ Shepard thought to himself as he looked at the man wearing the black armor.

"Thanks for saving my ass, Commander." The man said.

"No problem, but first tell me who you are and tell me what happened here." Shepard said.

"Oh, right. Sorry." The man took off his helmet. The man revealed to have a slender face and thick black hair. He parted the hair back. He looks at Shepard. "I'm agent Thomas Anderson. I'm with Alliance Intelligence."


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER 7**

Agent Anderson sat down on the crate he was hiding behind from the geth soldiers, earlier. For all means, he needed to catch his breath and recuperate from what has happened. After all, he was in the trenches with all of the soldiers that were battling with the geth attackers.

Shepard looked at Thomas Anderson and wanted to know what he knew. "So agent Anderson, can you tell me what has happened here?"

"First of all, I would you prefer it if you called me by my call name, Neo." The agent requested.

"All right, Neo." Shepard said as he thought to himself. _I already answer to a Captain Anderson._ This would avoid confussion. "What happened here? Are you with the 212 or the 232?"

"Neither." Neo said. "I was temporarily attached to the 232. They were providing escort duty while I was overseeing the Prothean beacon getting ready for your pick-up. That damn turian Spectre screwed us over."

"What are you talking about?" Shepard asked. "What turian Spectre?"

"There was a Spectre who came around here earlier." Neo said. "He told us to get the beacon ready. When we got the beacon ready for transport, that's when the attack happened."

"I can't see how Nihlus could have been here so quickly." Kaiden said.

"Nihlus?" Neo said. "Nihlus wasn't his name. I didn't get his name."

"Wait. What do you mean?" Shepard asked. "There's another Spectre here?"

"I wouldn't call him a dedicated Spectre." Neo said. "He took the beacon and whatever knowledge that thing had."

"You just let some random turian come by without knowing who he could've been?" Kaiden added.

"The message came from Intel and the message said _'a turian spectre was coming along with Alliance personnel.'_" Neo activated his Omni-tool and showed the message. "Names are usually left out for security purposes."

"Tell me what happened when the turian showed up?" Shepard asked.

Neo stood up and tapped the crate where he was ducking for cover a few minutes ago. "The turian came back with this crate and said _'he was here for the pick-up.' _Then I asked him _'where's the rest of the team?' _He opened this crate he carted with him and then said _'right here'_." Neo kicked the crate in a short burst of anger. "At least six to eight geth came charging out of this very crate along with those flying geth drones. Caught the rest of 232 by surprise"

"Then what happened to you when the geth attacked the team?" Shepard asked.

"I tried to kill the turian, but those flying geth drones distracted me enough for him to escape. He ran towards the space port." Neo said as he pointed at the direction the turian ran. "I had to duck into the woods to call for help, because I knew the pick-up team was coming. Something was blocking the transmission to any ship in the area, so I had to improvise by using my Intel's transmission." Neo looks at Ashley. "That was when I also knew the 212 was hit by the geth surprise attack. So I linked on to one of your soldier's helmet cameras and sent the images to any ship that might have been around Eden Prime's signal."

"You sent that signal?" Shepard said. "Well, we received it and now we're here."

"Then after I sent the signal, I came back here to the beacon's base." Neo visually referred to the circular Prothean ruin. "The beacon was gone and when I tried to track the turian's path, I was attacked. They chased me back here when you three showed up."

"Commander." Kaiden said. "We got to warn Nihlus about the other turian Spectre."

"That means breaking radio silence." Shepard shrugged realizing that this was far more important than maintaining standard protocol. "Neo, can you send a secure signal to Nihlus?"

"Not here." Neo said. "That signal I sent to you earlier was a onetime shot when something started interfering with the signals. However, I can send something on a low band signal. The only problem is that we have to get close enough to him."

"I think he's heading through the port." Kaiden said.

"Neo." Shepard looks at him. "Care to come with us?"

"By your lead, Commander." Neo said as he places his helmet back on his head.

Shepard, Kaiden, Ashley, and Neo pushed on and followed the same path where Neo tracked the turian before. They came across some prefabricated huts that were used as a lab by researchers. In front of the huts were the same spikes Ashley encountered earlier.

"I saw these in use, Commander." Ashley said. "They're used to impale their victims."

After Ashley explained what she saw, one of the spikes carrying a victim came down. The body started twitching and it stood up.

"What the hell?" Kaiden said.

The human didn't look entirely human. Its skin was dark and a bright bio-luminescent tone of blue ran through its body. In place where the spike had impaled this victim, there was a type of node where a large gaping hole would've been. The creature let out a deep moan as it ran towards the four members.

"Open fire." Shepard ordered.

The _thing_ took many bullets into its body, but after a minute of firing, the thing slumped dead…or dead as it can be.

"What is that?" Kaiden said.

"I saw what these things do." Ashley said. "This was a colonist." She examines the thing's back head to see if she can locate a terminal node. "This was a freeborn human. I saw the geth try to put a podborn human on one of those spikes, but the man exploded."

Neo tries to explain. "Most likely those spikes are meant to convert organics into this…this, _husk_. Perhaps when they tried to use the podborn human, the spikes tried to convert him. But the machine parts in him didn't agree with this alien implant. Like when a virus enters the body and the white blood cells attack the virus, often the result is an inflammatory infection. It's like an inflammatory infection times a hundred. That's why they explode."

"I can see." Kaiden walked up to another spike, but as he examines the spike he notices that a pool of blood and flesh piled on the ground in front of him. He carefully examined the pile, but what caught his attention was a black circular tube. He picked up the tube which tapered into a small round ball. The ball had tiny strands coming out of it like the roots of a plant that was plucked from the soil. As he looked closer at the strands, he noticed pink organic matter on the strands. Then he realized this was the terminal node of a podborn human and the pink organic matter was pieces of the brain. He quickly dropped the node. "Jesus!"

Shepard caught Kaiden and he was a bit annoyed with what he did. "Remember that next time you want to examine things you know nothing about."

"Aye, aye, sir." Kaiden gathered his composure and joined the rest of the group.

"We have to keep moving." Shepard said. "How far is the space port?"

"Just over that hill." Neo said. "From there we can signal Nihlus."

As the four crossed through a trail, Neo tried to home in on Nihlus's radio. "I think I got a signal."

* * *

Nihlus ducked behind a crate when he saw something moving around the space port's cargo platform. He inched his head around the corner of the box and pointed his rifle towards the potential target. He suddenly lowered his guard when he saw the familiar figure in front of him.

"Saren?" Nihlus said as he looked at the other turian.

Saren didn't have facial tattoos like many of his species. He did however, have implants around his jaw. It was possibly the result of an injury from his tour of duty. His eyes were a dark fluorescent blue without slits in his eyes. "Nihlus." He responds.

"This isn't your mission, Saren." Nihlus said. "What are you doing here?"

"The Council thought you could use some help on this one." Saren said as he calmly walks away from Nihlus's view.

"I wasn't expecting the geth here." Nihlus said. "The situation's bad."

"Don't wor…" Saren didn't finish what he was about to say, because Nihlus's radio cracked on with a distressed voice over the other end.

"Nihlus!" Shepard's voice called.

"One moment, Saren." Nihlus took the call. "Shepard. We agreed only I can use radio commu…"

Shepard cut Nihlus off at mid sentence. "There's another turian Specre! We found out he brought the geth to Eden Prime and he took the beacon! You're walking into a trap!"

Nihlus froze for a moment and realize that he might have _just_ walked into that trap. Nihlus dove to the side and drew his sidearm out, pointing it at Saren. When he pointed his weapon at Saren, Saren was already pointing his sidearm at him.

"You treacherous, bastard!" Nihlus barked at Saren. "You did this! Why?"

"Because I was offered something more that what the Council could ever offer." Saren said with a smirk.

* * *

"Nihlus!" Shepard called his name again. "Nihlus!" Then he heard a volley of gunfire echoing over the hill, surprisingly with all this chaos. Shepard could only hope if Nihlus was still alive. "We have to get to him and hurry."

Shepard and his group came around the corner of the hill, only to see the massive black arthropod ship docked at the space port.

Kaiden and Ashely looked at the ship with awe and trying to make sense of who made such a craft. Unlike the image from the Normandy, the ship was erected into a tower as red electrostatic lightning glimmered off the ship. That image reminded him of…_no it couldn't._ Shepard thought. The image of the electrostatic gleaming off the tower reminded him of… _The Matrix. The day I emerged from my pod. The towers. The electromagnetic energy. Could the geth be so similar to the Matrix? Was this even geth?_

Shepard shook off the thought. He continued down the hill and faced another squad of geth and husks.

After the geth and the husks were disposed of, Shepard searched the area for more hostiles.

Kaiden called his attention. "Shepard! I found Nihlus."

Shepard, Ashley, and Neo ran up the cargo platform and found Nihlus slumped back on a crate. Shepard examined the body, but it would appear that he was dead, still clutching his sidearm. He looks at Neo and asked. "Was this the turian." Shepard had to be sure.

"No." Neo said. "The one that screwed us over didn't have the face tattoos. He had metal enhanced jaws and blue eyes."

"Looks like Nihlus put up a hell of a fight, though." Shepard said as he shook his head.

"He did." A voice from behind the crate spoke.

"Come out of there." Ashley demanded.

"Don't shoot." A man with scruffy facial hair and wearing a skull cap came forward. He was most likely a dock worker. "My name's Powell. I'm human."

"What are you doing back there, Powell?" Shepard asked.

"I was hiding from those creatures." Powell said. "Then I took cover when the two turians got into a standoff. I saw what happened after the shooting stopped. One finished off the other." Powell looked at Nihlus's body.

"Tell me what happened when Nihlus showed up?" Shepard questioned the dockworker.

"The other one got here first." Powell said. "He was waiting when your friend showed up. He called him, Saren. I think they knew each other. Your friend seemed to relax and let his guard down. Then your friend heard someone warning him on the radio." He pointed to where Saren was standing. "Saren would've shot him in the back if he didn't get that warning." He looks at Nihlus's body again. "At least he went out swinging."

"The Prothean beacon was supposed to be here." Neo asked. "Where is it?"

"It should be at the other cargo dock." Powell said. "After Saren killed your friend, he took the cargo train. That's where we hauled the beacon to a few hours ago." Powell shook his head. "I knew that thing was trouble when we dug it up."

The four hurried towards the cargo train. They were temporarily delayed when a couple of geth were guarding the train. They were taken out easily, but the real problem was when the train's computer was encoded.

"Damn." Kaiden said. "Someone changed the code on this thing so only Saren or a geth could operate it."

"Let me take care of this." Neo said as he pulled out a small black box. The box contains a round joint and inserts it into the train's computer. He then types in a program and all of a sudden, the train started moving. "Got it."

"How did you do that?" Kaiden asked.

"Oh, I didn't get to be a high level tech agent just for my pretty face." Neo joked.

"Let's go get Saren." Shepard said.

* * *

When Shepard, Kaiden, Ashley, and Neo arrived at the other cargo platform, they were met with more geth soldiers. Only this time they ran into some geth soldiers that seem to be larger than the average geth. They were carrying larger weapons and some are not afraid to launch a _krogan charge_ at the four warriors. They found it difficult to destroy the large geth soldiers, but it was possible. It would seem the four soldiers had managed to do better than the soldiers did against the initial attack from the geth, but then again it was a surprise attack and no victim of a sneak attack ever comes out undamaged.

A new problem arose when they arrived at the platform. The platform was rigged with massive explosives. Shepard needed to get those bombs offline.

"Neo." Shepard said. "You said you're a tech expert, right?"

"Yeah." Neo said.

"We need to split up in two groups." Shepard said. "You and Chief Williams find the bombs on the north decks. Williams, you give Neo cover."

"Aye, aye, sir." Ashley said.

"Kaiden, you come with me." Shepard said. "We'll take the south decks."

"Aye, aye, sir." Kaiden said.

The two groups split-up to cover more ground in the short time they had. They managed to disarm the bombs without any trouble, but the only trouble they had were the remaining geth forces left behind to make sure the bombs go off. Perhaps the purpose was to erase the evidence of foul play by Saren's wickedness.

Trying not to think of _why_, but all Shepard wanted to do was think of _how am I going to dismantle these bombs_. That's what came to his mind, because he didn't know what kind of trigger or the type of guard these things had since this was not any kind of technology known to Citadel or Alliance space.

As soon as Shepard found the first bomb, which was shaped like a water tank, he found the timer. To his surprise, the function of the bomb was not that difficult to disarm. As soon as the first bomb was dismantled, he radioed in to the other team. "First bomb, dismantled."

A minute later, Neo radioed in. "Second bomb, dismantled."

A few minutes later, all four bombs were dismantled. Shepard and Kaiden met up with Ashley and Neo. The four realize that they prevented a bigger catastrophe than what has already happened.

After the bombs were dismantled, the massive arthropod ship took off. The legs of the ship constricted into its body and shot off into space. Saren was nowhere to be found, but the beacon was safe.

Shepard looked at the beacon and it wasn't anything he had ever seen before. He knows only enough about Prothean ruins from what was taught to him at school. The beacon was tall and thin looking at it directly, but when you look at it at its side it looked like flat piece of board with abstract writings on the side. What made the artifact so peculiar was the ominous green light coming from its base.

Shepard radioed in for the evacuation of the beacon, while Ashley and Kaiden marveled at the artifact.

"This is amazing." Kaiden said. "Actual working Prothean technology. Unbelievable."

"It wasn't doing anything like that when they dug it up." Ashley said.

"You're right, Chief." Neo added to the comments. "It wasn't doing anything at all. Saren must've figured out how to turn it on."

As Kaiden and Neo walked over to Shepard to find out what the next plan was, Ashley curiously moved a little closer to the alien artifact. As she adjusts her eyes to the bright green light, an explosive flash rippled through her body. The force of the beacon was drawing her towards her like a magnet. The light of the beacon was illuminating a bright green light creating a force of energy and she tried desperately to resist the force, but she couldn't.

Shepard saw what was going on and he quickly darted towards her. He grabbed Ashley and pulled her away, but now Shepard was caught in the beacon's pull. Shepard was suddenly levitated of the floor and his mind was filled with abstract, nightmarish visions. The visions contained various scenes of violence, pain, and death.

Then the beacon exploded in front of him and Shepard was thrown back. Shepard was out cold and the Prothean beacon was destroyed.

* * *

**SR1 NORMANDY**

**MEDICAL BAY**

**STATUS: ON ROUTE TO**

**THE CITADEL**

Three hours has passed since Shepard's encounter with the beacon. Kaiden, Neo, and Ashley helped their Commander on board. He was still unconscious, but Dr. Chakwas assured that he was fine, however he needed constant monitoring. Ashley sat on the bed next to Shepard's, while Kaiden and Neo examined the man.

"What can we do, doctor?" Kaiden asked.

"Nothing we can do for right now." Dr. Chakwas said.

"I'm afraid it's my fault." Ashley said. "I must've triggered the beacon and the Commander was forced to help me."

"There's no need for blaming yourself right now, child." Dr. Chakwas said trying to comfort Ashley. "He is still alive. If you were to look at his shaking eyes, it is showing high levels of brain activity."

"Wait a minute, doctor." Neo said. "Does that mean he's dreaming?"

"Possibly." Chakwas said. "Shepard is probably replaying the last moments before he ended up like this."

"Wait." Neo looks at the doctor and then he looks at Shepard. "Does this bed have the ability to access any displays from his mind? I mean, Shepard is a podborn."

"Yes, but that's only reserved for sleep study patients." Chakwas said. "Tuning into the dreams of other people without consent could reveal private memories and sensitive secrets. I could lose my license if I activate it for you."

"No doctor." Neo said. "I'll take full responsibility. By the authority of the Systems Alliance Intelligence, you will not be charged with anything. I need to know what Shepard knows."

Chakwas takes a minute to register what Neo told her. "Very well." She pressed down on a few buttons next to the bed.

They both lifted Shepard's head by raising his upper body a little higher. Dr. Chakwas pulled a chord from beneath the bed and attached the wire to Shepard's outlet on the back of his head. Then she turned on the vid screen.

Dr. Chakwas, Neo, Kaiden, and Ashley couldn't make out what they were looking at. The color was in a yellowish-brown sepia tone and the imagery was _things_ dying in agony. Then an image of what looked like a mouth slowly opening up, dripping saliva and mucus. The image followed with microchips being implanted in the flesh of a living being. At the last scene, was the image of the galaxy from a rather far distance and then a dark planet came into view. Inside that dark planet emerged the same arthropod ship that was seen on Eden Prime. Then the dream just repeated itself over in a continuous loop.

"What was that?" Ashley asked.

"I don't know." Neo said looking at Ashley and Kaiden. "Does anyone know any experts on Protheans?"

* * *

_**A/N:**__ Another chapter done. I just have been giving it some thought and I know some of the readers wanted to see Neo make an appearance in this crossover. Neo may be in it, but I still like to think that Commander Shepard is 'The One'._


	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER 8**

**EDEN PRIME**

**APACHE HILLS  
**

Small groups of geth were preparing to leave Eden Prime, because Alliance forces we on route to the besieged colony and divisions of locally stationed Alliance soldiers were on their way towards the geth's position. Geth might be nothing but mindless synthetics, but they know when to attack and when to retreat. Now was the time to retreat.

One of the geth soldiers wandered away from the rest of the group, investigating the formation of the rocks. Making sure nobody was lurking in the crevasses of this rocky hill. As the geth unit assumed nothing was in there, it turned around and moved to go back to its unit.

Before the geth unit could move forward, it received a powerful jolt to its system. The geth collapsed to the ground, simply being disabled.

Standing in place where the geth stood was a quarian female. She had a purple visor with a dark enviro-suit and she was holding a type of electro-magnetic prod in her hand. She looked around to make sure no other geth were present. When all was clear she grabs the geth's legs and drags it back to the rocky crevasses, out of sight.

The quarian female began dissecting the area which contains the geth's memory core. She didn't want to kill the thing yet, because she knew that once a geth is destroyed the data in the core automatically self destruct. As long as she keeps her hands steady, she can get the job done.

The female pulls the memory core out of the geth's data pod and she's successful. The geth unit was nothing more than a shell of its former self. When she placed the data chip in one of her many pockets, she heard the rumbling of vehicles in the distance. She didn't want to take any chances finding out if it's Alliance or geth, so she hid the geth body under a thick bush growing inside the rock formations.

After the quarian got rid of the evidence, she peeked out of the side to see who or what was approaching. She was relieved when she saw a company of Alliance soldiers doing a sweep of the area. She looks for something in her pockets and pulls out a flare. She pulls the cord on the bottom and a stream of light and smoke signals her whereabouts.

A minute later two Alliance soldiers came to check out where the flare came from. The quarian female said to the soldiers. "Don't shoot. I'm not geth." She slowly shows her hooded head around the corner and she held her hands high.

The soldiers lowered their rifles and one soldier with darkened skin radioed back to their company. "There's only a quarian here. Going to ask for further questions." The darken skin soldier looks at the female quarian. "What's your name? Are you alone? Are you hurt?"

The quarian answers while still holding her hands up. "I'm Tali'Zorah nas Rayya. Yes, I'm alone. I'm not hurt."

"Glad to hear that, Miss Zorah." The soldier said. "You can put your hands down." Tali did just that and relaxed her arms. "I'm Sergeant Jacob Taylor. This is Private First Class Hernandez. You're a long way out in the middle of nowhere for your pilgrimage? What are you doing out here, alone?"

"I'm an engineer and was part of a mining survey group." Tali explained. "My job was to place a new outpost here with the help of my pilot, Russell Nelson. Our shuttle was shot down when the geth attacked. I managed to escape." She lowers her head in sadness. "Russell never made it."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Jacob said. "Most of the geth are gone and we're making sweeps for any remaining geth in the area. Have you seen any geth?"

"Actually, one was looking around here thirty minutes ago." Tali crossed her arms. "I managed to take it down." She points to the rocks where she had been hiding. "The body's in there, underneath some bushes if you need to check it out."

"I'll go check it out." Hernandez said and Jacob nods in approval. Hernandez walks behinds the rocks and a minute later he shouts. "We got one here!"

"How did you do it?" Jacob asked.

"I waited till the geth came by and when it turned around, I disabled the thing." Tali said. "Then I opened the memory core and then I smashed it. I was going to take the geth's rifle and take my chances going back to the nearest settlement, but when I saw your company coming…"

"I understand." Jacob said. "I must say that I'm impressed with your resourcefulness, but we need this geth body intact, weapon and all." He pulls out a collapsible shotgun and gives it to Tali. He seem to know that quarians are raised knowing how to handle firearms. "Take this just in case. We have cleared out much of this area, but better safe than sorry. Can you make it back on foot?"

"Yes." Tali said as she feels the shotgun. "Thank you, Sergeant Taylor." She hastily walks away, towards the nearest settlement.

As Tali walked a reasonable distance away from the rocks, Hernandez walked back to Jacob. "Sarge. The memory core on that geth unit is missing."

Jacob turned his head watching the quarian walking towards the distance. He knew that she must have the chip on her, but he had a strong feeling that she was going to need it more than he did. He looks back at Hernandez. "The girl said that she had to open the geth's memory core and fry it. The core is destroyed. Mark this spot and we'll pick the body up on the way back."

"Right, sarge." Hernandez complied.

* * *

**OMEGA SPACE STATION**

**FLASH'S EATERY**

Urdnot Wrex was sitting at an eatery in Omega, snacking on varren skewers and downing shots of ryncol. At times like these, he would browse through his Omni-tool looking for employment opportunities through either working as a mercenary or bounty hunting. He hasn't been hurting for money, but he's always on the look-out for some extra cash.

Wrex was always leaving messages for employment opportunities, but this time he got a call from someone representing the Shadow Broker. Now that was an opportunity he couldn't resist, because doing _jobs_ for the Broker always paid well. If Wrex was given an opportunity, then his credentials must've been worth a few minutes of the Broker's time.

Wrex continues to wait, until a turian, wearing combat armor spots him. The turian approaches him and asked him. "Urdnot Wrex?"

"Yes." Wrex said as he secretly clenches his pistol around his waist.

"I come representing a powerful investor, which I understand has contacted you recently." The turian said. "I'm transferring the dossier to you right now." After Wrex received the information, the turian continued. "Thank you for your time." The turian walks away.

Wrex looks at the new message and the message contains the information for his next target. The dossier reads:

_Urdnot Wrex,_

_Your services come highly recommended. I am in need of assistance in dealing with a former employee. This employee has been working for my services for many years without incident. I always demand total allegiance from my employees. Unfortunately, my former employee has decided to switch allegiances and work for a Spectre named Saren Arterius. This is not acceptable. I must set an example and you are the right man for the job. Since you are working as a bounty hunter, I can offer you an ultimatum. If you choose to capture the target, you must bring the target to a specific location for pick-up and you will be compensated for the sum of 50,000 credits. If you choose to kill the target and any of the target's agents along the way, you will be compensated for the sum of 100,000 credits. If you choose to kill the target, you must provide proof of the target's death._

_V/R: S. B._

_P.S. Here is the profile of the target. Once you have memorized the target, confirm by clicking 'done' and the message will be erased._

Wrex glances at the profile and it shows a picture of a human with a flat-top hair cut. The human is male and goes only by the name of _Fist_. He runs a night club on the Citadel called _Chora's Den._

Wrex finishes his skewers and ryncol. He leaves the eatery and proceeds to find a shuttle going to the Citadel.

* * *

**CITADEL**

**C-SEC OFFICE**

The turian detective, Garrus Vakarian was continuing his ongoing investigation of Saren Arterius. When he found out that he was investigating the Council's top Spectre agent, it caused some questioning on his part. However, when he found out that Saren had swayed a suspected gangster known as, Fist away from the employment of the Shadow Broker…that was a call for attention.

Garrus was going through some data sheets and some recorded messages all across the galaxy relating the name Saren with time and locations. For the last month, his investigation has kept hitting dead ends and false leads. It hasn't been the easiest investigation he has had. Then again, this was by far the most difficult investigation. He would often quietly say to himself that "I would have better luck switching the magnetic poles of Palaven than finding something on Saren." The reason for his frustration was that how was a decorated Spectre able to sway a gangster from the Shadow Broker. It was an open secret that the Broker has deep pockets. Did Saren find a huge cache of platinum somewhere or was he doing something big under the table?

Today might be different. Garrus did find something. Something happened on the human colony of Eden Prime a few hours earlier. A geth attack. That alone was shocking, since geth never venture beyond the Perseus Veil. What was more shocking was that the name _Saren_ came up.

The report said that an eyewitness working at a space port saw the Spectre agent Nihlus shot by fellow agent Saren. Saren was also accused by a Systems Alliance Intelligence agent that Saren brought the geth to Eden Prime. _That's what I need._ Garrus thought _an eyewitness to the murder and an intelligence agent discovering foul play._ Garrus knows this isn't quite enough to put Saren behind bars, but it was enough to open more outlets to continue the investigation.

Garrus types up a report on his Omni pad and finds another C-Sec officer passing by. "Hey, Brown." Garrus called to an elderly human C-Sec desk sergeant.

Brown was a retired police officer from Earth. Contrary to belief that humans were not accepted in Citadel space during the Citadel and Alliance _little contact years_, there were quite a number of humans who left Alliance space to find a home around the Citadel before the Alliance was accepted into Citadel space. Brown was one of those people. He was pretty secretive about his past, but what Garrus knew about Brown was that he was from a city on Earth called New York. He was also a police officer in that city and from Garrus's cultural icon research he learned from Earth, New York was somewhat like the equivalent of the Citadel back in its day before the Human/Machine War. Brown even said that part of his _old beat_ was patrolling the old United Nations building where the Great Synthesis of 2102 was signed into law.

"Yes, sir." Brown asked.

"Where's the Executor?" Garrus asked.

"Gone for today, but he'll be at the Presidium tomorrow." Brown said. "He's overlooking the review board about the Spectre who got killed on Eden Prime. Is this about your investigation?"

"Yes." Garrus said. "I think I found something, enough to see the Executor himself. Since he'll be there, maybe this bit of information will be used during the Council's investigation."

Brown walked over to Garrus and said. "Don't get your hopes up. Word around the scuttlebutt is that your investigation might get pulled."

"What?" Garrus eyes widened. "Why?"

"I don't know." Brown said. "My guess is red tape and politics."

"If that happened two weeks ago, I would've been thrilled." Garrus shakes his head. "But if they are doing this to me now after I find something…"

"Garrus, my boy." Brown tried to comfort him. "Being a member of C-Sec has only taught me one thing. It doesn't matter where you are from. It doesn't matter what species you are. It doesn't matter where you serve to protect the innocent and uphold the law. What is guaranteed is that bureaucratic red tape is universal, no matter what the species or location. If you can convince the Executor then I wish you the best of luck." Brown said as he walked away, but not before saying. "Someday, I'll teach you how life works."

Garrus just smiles for a moment. After a moment of clarity, he collects his personal items and prepares to see the Executor tomorrow.

* * *

**SR1 NORMANDY**

**MEDICAL BAY**

Ashley Williams was still sitting next to Shpard's bed when she saw movement from his body. In her excitement, she said. "Doctor? Doctor Chakwas? I think he's waking up."

Shepard woke up, feeling like the day after shore leave. His head felt like it was put in a vice lock as he rubbed his head, hoping to ease the pain. When his eyes adjusted to the room, he realized that he was in the medical bay of the Normandy.

Dr. Chakwas approached him. "You had us worried there, Shepard. How are you feeling?"

Shepard knew he was in some pain, but like any decent soldier he toughed it out. "Minor throbbing. Nothing serious. How long was I out?"

"About fifteen hours." Chakwas said. "Something happened down there with the beacon, I think."

"It's my fault." Ashley confessed. "I must have triggered some kind of security field when I approached it. You had to push me out of the way."

Shepard wasn't in the mood to throw blame of anger at anyone at that moment. So his response to Ashley was. "You had no way to know what would happen."

"Actually, we don't even know that's what set it off." Chakwas added to Ashley's defense. "Unfortunately, we'll never get the chance to find out."

"The beacon exploded." Ashley said. "A system overload, maybe. The blast knocked you cold. The Lieutenant, agent Neo, and I carried you back here to the ship." She said as she came into full view of Shepard.

Shepard saw Ashley for the first time, without her armor on. She was pleasant to look at, although her black hair was tied up in a military regulation bun and she came across as a grown woman who grew up as a tomboy. She seemed like the kind of girl who could bust heads and then crack jokes with the best of any seasoned veteran. But right now she seems to be acting as a venerable nurse caring for her patient.

Shepard tells Ashley. "I appreciate it." She slightly sinks her head down to hide her soft smile.

"Physically, your fine." Chakwas said. "But I detected some unusual brain activity, abnormal beta waves. I also noticed an increase in your rapid eye movement, signs typically associated with intense dreaming."

When Shepard was about to talk about his dream, another voice chimed in. "Go ahead and tell him, doctor." It was Neo.

"Tell me, what?" Shepard asked.

Chakwas confessed. "When agent Neo here found out about your dreams, he was insistent on me tuning in on your dream state."

Shepard didn't know whether to be mad or curious. He was mad, because he felt violated on an extreme personal level. Although, his dream wasn't clear and he knew it had something to do with the beacon on Eden Prime.

Shepard decided to play neutral. "I understand why you needed to do this, Neo. But don't do anything like that without my knowledge. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Commander." Neo calmly responds.

Shepard then asked. "So, what did you find from the tuning?"

"Let me show you, Commander." Neo turns on the vid screen and shows the recorded imagery from earlier.

Shepard saw the images, but it still didn't make sense to him. "That's what I saw, but I have no idea what it was about. The only thing recognizable was that massive ship I saw on Eden Prime."

"Then I better add this to my report." Chakwas suddenly perked up when she saw Captain Anderson enter the room. "Oh, Captain Anderson."

"How's our XO holding up, Doctor?" Anderson asked.

"All the readings look normal." Chakwas said. "I'd say the commander is going to be fine."

"Glad to hear it." Anderson said. "Shepard. I need to speak with you…" He looks at Ashley, Chakwas, and Neo giving the three a subtle order. "In private."

Ashley responds with a salute. "Aye, aye, Captain. I'll be in the mess if you need me." She walks out of the medical bay and Chakwas follows.

Then Neo said. "Yes, I'll be in the mess as well. Captain. Commander." Neo nods his head and walks out of the medical bay.

* * *

Neo sat down at the nearest table in the mess hall, debating to himself if he wanted something to eat or not. Military provided food was not an appetizing thought.

Then Ashley asked Neo a question. "What's with the name?"

"The name?" Neo looks at Ashley, who leaning on the bulkhead.

"Yeah." Ashley said. "Why do you use the name, Neo?"

"Well, we seldom use our real names." Neo said. "At least in our branch. Our branch specializes in technology and hacking. I was at the dig site making sure the tech was secure on that beacon. As for names, those are more of our call signs or hacker names we give ourselves while out on the field."

"That's interesting." Ashley said. "I'm kind of glad, too. We can't have two Andersons wandering around the ship. That might cause confusion. What I thought was that the names are classified…do you read history?"

"Yes." Neo said.

"I thought it was something out of the American Revolution." Ashley explains. "There was a spy network for the American colonies called The Culper Ring. The agents didn't have names, only numbers. I'd figure it was something more like that, only you have hacker names."

"Actually, Miss Williams. That's right on the nose." Neo complimented her while smiling. "Not a lot of people know that. I guess you got that deductive reasoning from your grandfather, huh."

Ashley paused for a moment and then she sighed a bit of relief when Shepard came out of the medical bay. Her grandfather wasn't someone she wanted to discuss to anyone, _at least not yet or to a nosy Intelligence Agent_. She thought to herself.


	9. Chapter 9

**CHAPTER 9**

**CITADEL**

**SR1 NORMANDY**

**MARCH 15, 2183**

Shepard was now feeling better after knowing that Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams was filled the empty role Corporal Jenkins left on this ship. Shepard looked at her personal records and found nothing but a clean record. He couldn't understand the long list of crap assignments, but after seeing her in action Shepard is glad to have her on board.

Shepard approached the cockpit in his full armor. He was accompanied by Ashley, Kaiden, and Neo, all in their armor. Since they weren't going into a war zone and only being called to the Alliance Embassy for a debriefing, they decided to leave their helmets behind.

No chance to be a tourist right now, although Ashley and Kaiden were awestruck earlier with the size of the Citadel's Flagship the Destiny Ascension. It was a complete contradiction, because the asari wasn't known for being a war-like species, they had the turians for that. _It was hard to believe that a massive warship could've been built by a species of blue women always seeking the meaning of peace._ Shepard would think, but then again the asari military was no joke. It was said that asari commandos, known for its powerful strikes and covert affairs, would put STG and turian special forces to shame.

It was just a quick cab ride to the Presidium Wards and the four showed up to the human embassy. Captain Anderson waited for the four to show up and after they arrived, Anderson entered the embassy. When they walked in they saw ambassador Udina throwing a fit towards the three holographic images of the Council. Representing the turians was Sparatus. Representing the Asari was Matriarch Tevos. Representing the Salarians was the newly appointed, Valern.

"This is an outrage!" Udina shouted. "The Council would step in if the geth attacked a turian colony!"

Valern calmly replied. "The turians don't found colonies on the borders of the Terminus Systems. Ambassador."

Tevos added. "Humanity was well aware of the risks when you went into the Traverse."

"What about Saren?" Udina said. "You can't just ignore a rouge Spectre. I demand action!"

Sparatus said. "Just three years being members of Citadel space and you still make threats as if you never joined. Typical."

Tevos spoke up. "Citadel Security is investigating your charges against Saren. We will discuss the C-Sec findings at the hearing. Not before."

As the images of the Council disappeared, Udina turned around to see the Captain standing behind him. "Captain Anderson, I see you brought half your crew…" He paused for a second when he realized Neo was among the group. "Agent Neo. What brings you here?"

Shepard's guess was that Udina knows the agent from somewhere he knows or doesn't want to know about. _Maybe it was Udina who sent the agent to Eden Prime in the first place._ Shepard though.

Anderson was first to speak out. "This is the ground team from Eden Prime. In case you had any questions."

"I have the mission reports." Udina said while looking at each member of the group. "I assume they're accurate?"

"They are." Anderson said. "Sounds like you convinced the Council to give us an audience."

"They were not happy about it." Udina said. "Saren's their top agent. They don't like him being accused of treason."

Shepard spoke up. "Saren's a threat to every human colony out there. He needs to be stopped. The Council has to listen to us."

"Settle down, Commander." Udina ordered. "You've already done more than enough to jeopardize your candidacy for the Spectres. The mission on Eden Prime was a chance to prove you could get the job done. Instead, Nihlus ended up dead and the beacon was destroyed."

"That's Saren's fault, not his." Anderson defended Shepard.

"He's right." Neo added. "I saw what Saren did personally. Commanding an army of geth and flying off in a space craft of unknown origin."

"I'm assuming that you came to Eden Prime with the Normandy crew?" Udina looks at Neo.

"No, Ambassador." Neo said. "I was sent there the day before. Also Chief Williams here also had been stationed previously before the attacks happened. We know what went down."

"Then I hope your eyewitness accounts will do something for this upcoming hearing." Udina said to Neo and Ashley. Then he looks at Shepard. "Otherwise the Council might use this as an excuse to keep you out of the Spectres." Now he looks over at Anderson. "Come with me, Captain. I want to go over a few things before the hearing. Shepard. You and the others can meet us at the Citadel Tower. Top level. I'll make sure you have clearance to get in."

As Udina and Anderson walked away, Ashley said. "That's why I hate politicians."

"I agree." Someone's voice came from the corner of the room. The four looked around and saw a man sitting behind a desk.

"Who are you?" Shepard asked.

"Currently, I am the advisor to Ambassador Udina." The man said. "Formerly, I was the Ambassador to the Systems Alliance." The man stood up from his seat and walked over to Shepard. "Dominic Osoba. It's not how I would've handled the Council or even talked to you. I read the reports and I know you did everything in your power to stop Saren."

"Thanks, but I think losing the beacon is what pissed off Udina the most." Shepard said.

"Yeah." Osoba said. "I want to talk to you about your upcoming hearing with the Council. Do you have a minute?"

"Sure." Shepard and Osoba walked towards the ledge with full view of the Presidium.

"You must understand that this hearing isn't going to go as well as you planned." Osoba said.

"How do you know?" Shepard asked.

"Intuition." Osoba said. "It's what one develops for being around the Council species for many years. What I'm saying is that Udina may have eyewitnesses, but that's not going to fly far. The Council would rather defend an accused Spectre at all costs. I know, because I had to stand as witness to many hearings."

"How often does this happen?" Shepard asked.

"Not so much anymore." Osoba said. "You see, after the First Contact War and during the Alliance's refusal to join the Citadel races, humanity were seen as a threat. The Council during that time decided to pour more resources into their military and their Spectres program. The Spectres were being drafted from all over Council space from military intelligence to C-Sec. The problem was and the Council will never admit this, but they were being a little more relaxed when recruiting their agents for a time. Some of these agents had been accused of corruption and underhanded activities. There had been many hearings in the past, but what the Council was great at was damage control. They manage not to let the actions of the agents downgrade the Council's image."

Shepard responds by saying. "So what you're saying is that the Council has gotten good at trying not to get one of their agents in trouble and covering their own asses in the process."

"Precisely." Osoba said. "There's also the fact that some of my contacts at C-Sec had also said that they will most likely reject the eyewitness accounts. Even drop charges against, Saren."

"What? Why?" Shepard scowled.

Osoba explains. "From the point of view of the Council, they're going on the testimony of a lazy dockworker and an intelligence agent from a human agency. They are not going to take the word of murder from a dockworker that was having his forty winks when he could have been dreaming the whole thing. Not to mention that Agent Neo could be intentionally lying just so humanity can gain some political clout. You must also see that the Council also still sees the Alliance as a threat and for that reason; we have a military force that can easily wage a long war with all of Council space and the cultural influence to match. You overheard the Council talking to Udina, they were just trying to save face and appear tough in front of the human diplomat. Trust in humanity is in short supply around here."

"Well, I guess we can only work with what we got then." Shepard said. "Thanks for telling me that. I have to go."

"I wish you luck, Commander." Osoba said as Shepard and the group leaves the Embassy.

* * *

Shepard, Ashley, Kaiden, and Neo had spent the last two hours exploring the Citadel. They did their tourist thing, but now was time for the hearing. When they arrived at the Citadel Tower, after a painfully slow elevator ride, they came across two turians engaged in some heated words.

The turian on the right was wearing his diplomatic suit that was suited for turian styles. If memory served Shepard correctly, this well dressed turian was Executor Pallin. The other turian wore blue armor and a blue visor over his left eye. In closer inspection, the turian was a C-Sec agent. Shepard couldn't help, but listen in on the conversation, especially when a certain name came up.

"Saren's hiding something." The C-Sec turian said. "Give me more time. Stall him."

"Stall the Council?" Pallin said. "Don't be ridiculous. Your investigation is over, Garrus." Pallin walks away.

Garrus the turian C-Sec agent shakes his head in disbelief. Then he notice Shepard standing over on his right side. He approaches him and says. "Commander Shepard? Garrus Vakarian. I was the officer in charge of the C-Sec investigation into Saren. A month of investigating him and now nothing to show for it."

"A month?" Shepard said. "You mean you knew Saren was going rouge from the start?"

"Actually, one of the jobs of C-Sec is to monitor Spectre activity if anything pops up." Garrus explains. "Nothing out of the ordinary, but something strange did happen and it wasn't until what he did on Eden Prime that made me continue further."

Then Shepard remembered what Osoba said about _Spectre agents who were corrupt_. _C-Sec kept an eye on Spectre activity since those bad old days _Shepard would think and then Shepard added. "Sounds like you really want to bring him down."

"I don't trust him." Garrus said. "Something about him rubs me the wrong way. But he's a Spectre, everything he touches is classified. I can't find any hard evidence."

Kaiden receives a call and said. "I think the Council's ready for us, Commander."

"Good luck, Shepard." Garrus said. "Maybe they'll listen to you." Garrus walks away.

Shepard and his company found Anderson waiting at the bottom of the stairs. Anderson said to Shepard "The hearing's already started. Come on."

When they all stood before the Council, there was a huge holographic image of Saren towering over everyone. Shepard and Neo were looking at that face of Saren and they felt a surge of anger flowing through their veins. Now was not the time for anger or rage. Now was the time to find out where this hearing will go from here.

* * *

**THRAXSIS SYSTEM**

**MIGRANT FLEET**

**THRAXSIS 4**

The Thraxsis System was made up of one giant white star located the lower region of Alliance space, near the Terminus systems. The quarian fleet currently resides in the area of its gas giant, Thraxsis 4. The most recent addition to the orbit of Thraxsis 4 is an alliance made shipyard which had been purchased by the Migrant Fleet two months earlier. The shipyard was equipped with a containment level which held living quarters, food storage lockers, auditorium, and all the comforts found in an Alliance vessel.

Inside the new shipyard, the Ket'osh named after a former quarian colony, Admiral Rael'Zorah stood over a stage and a full view of Thraxsis 4 behind him. He found himself speaking before a large number of quarians in the shipyard's auditorium. He was making a speech about his personal life with the Flotilla and adventures during his pilgrimage. He spoke about his wise investments that made him a very wealthy quarian, when he got involved in investment groups, particularly areas of experimental research of science and technology.

Rael closes his speech. "Representatives of the Migrant Fleet. Today is a new era for our people. We have achieved a new level in our renewed status in the galaxy. This will also prove that we can hold our own. Now I give to you, our proud achievement years since before the Morning War." As if on cue, a ship dropped out of FTL speeds and appeared on sight, outside the window. The ship was quarian designed, meaning that there's a ring in forward section of the ship and aft section tailed off. The ship looked more similar to a Mass Relay, but only backwards. "The newest ship to the Migrant Fleet, the new Alarai."

The ship didn't look overused like much of the Migrant Fleet's derelict ships, which means one thing. This ship was brand new. Something finally produced by the quarians in three centuries.

"Yes." Rael continued. "Renamed after the previous Alarai, this research vessel is the first of its kind. A ship made on this very space station, ran by quarians for the quarians. This ship is not made from parts of other ships; this ship is made from scratch. The Alarai is going to be the first of many ships that the Ket'osh shipyard will produce. This only makes our people one step closer to taking back Rannoch. Keelah se'lai."

The quarian crowd chanted back '_Keelah se'lai.' _

After the speech had ended, Rael walked off the stage and he was stopped by one of his fellow researches. "Admiral. You have a message coming in on a secure channel. It's your daughter."

Rael acknowledged and hurried to a private room. He activated his Omni-tool and said to himself. "Keelah, Tali. Please be alright?" He only heard recently about the geth attack on Eden Prime.

The message read. _I can't talk for long, it's not safe. I have a geth memory core that is still mostly intact. When Eden Prime was attacked, there was someone who brought the geth here. I have a recording of who did it, but I have a problem. Ever since I found the core, I have been followed and I can't come back to the Flotilla in fear of being followed. I have to go to the Citadel and present this to the human Embassy, since there was certain humans on Eden Prime that fought off the geth and I believe they can help. I just want to let you know that I'm alive and my pilgrimage will continue._

_-Tali_

Rael sighed in relief. He wanted to write a letter back to her, but he didn't want to do it at that moment. He didn't want to write back fueled on raw emotion. He wanted to give her the proper letter, one that reminded her of the civic duty for her people. So, Rael took a deep breath and he wrote what came to mind.

After he finished his brief statement to his daughter, Rael returned to the party that was awaiting him.

* * *

**THE CITADEL**

**DOCKING BAY 688**

The shuttle from Omega arrived and krogan bounty hunter, Urdnot Wrex exited the shuttle bay and into customs. An asari customs agent checked Wrex's identification and she asked him all the standard questions. "What brings you to the Citadel?"

"I'm here on business." Wrex said with a hidden krogan smirk.

"Do you have anything illegal on yourself?" The agent asked.

"Not on me." Wrex declared.

"All right then, you are cleared." The agent said. "Enjoy your time on the citadel, Mr. Turvik."

Mr. Turvik was just many of his alias he has to use whenever Wrex had _business_ on the Citadel or someplace that checks a little closer than usual to anyone entering an enclosed area.

After Wrex collects his cargo trunk, he takes it to a more secluded area of the Citadel wards next to some rental lockers. He opens the trunk carrying his armor, which he earned from the battle of Torfan when the quarians paid him with this armor. When the armor was on, he opened the false bottom in the trunk. He pulled out his shotgun, sniper rifle, assault rifle, and his sidearm pistol.

After strapping on his weapons and put his trunk in one of the rental lockers, he looks for one of the Virtual Intelligence terminal guides the Citadel was famous for having. When he locates one of the terminals, the asari-like image of a guide asks. "Welcome to the Citadel. How can I help you today."

Wrex just plainly asks the guide. "I want directions to Chora's Den."

* * *

_**A/N:** Another chapter done, I hope I didn't dissapoint anyone yet. _


	10. Chapter 10

**CHAPTER 10**

**CITADEL**

**THE CITADEL TOWER**

The hearing had just wrapped up and the human dignitaries were not pleased with the results. Saren wasn't charged and the Council didn't believe the testimony by Shepard and Neo.

Now Shepard, Neo, Kaiden, Ashley, Anderson, and Udina formed a circle talking about their next plans, because nobody said that they were giving up. Part of the agreement was to find a new strategy to taking down Saren and exposing whatever plans he has with the geth. They also agreed to find that C-Sec officer, Garrus. It would seem he had something and that was going to be their obvious first lead.

Anderson and Udina left to go back to the human Embassy while Shepard, Neo, Kaiden, and Ashley walked into the elevator. Neo tells Shepard. "Commander. I need to get back to the Normandy. Remember those visions when I tuned into your dreams when you were out cold?"

Shepard responds. "I remember the visions not making sense. What about it?"

"Well, I need to locate someone who could decipher what the visions mean." Neo said. "Not to mention that I have some items coming here from Earth."

"All right." Shepard said. "See you back on the Normandy, but how much longer do you plan on staying with us?"

Neo just smirked and answered. "Trying to get rid of me so quickly? Actually, that will be determined once I report back to headquarters." After he finished what he had to say, he walks away.

"Now we look for Harken." Kaiden said. "Where did Udina say he was?"

"He said some place called Chora's Den." Ashley answered. "This should be interesting."

* * *

Urdnot Wrex arrived at Chora's Den. It was strange, because at first he saw two turians standing over at the other side of the catwalk. They were checking out each person that entered the pathway and for some reason they didn't bat an eye when they saw the battle harden krogan. Wrex knew what these turians were up to. He thought to himself they weren't guards, looks like hired muscle waiting for someone. He was relieved that he wasn't the one they were after, but disappointed that there was no chance for a fight.

Before coming to Chora's Den, Wrex did a little research. He already knew about Saren swaying Fist away from the Shadow Broker, but what he learned was that a quarian female arrived on the Citadel a few hours ago and she had information on Saren. She was also in some sort of trouble and she wanted protection, she was willing to trade the information for a safe place to hide so she went to see Fist. The only problem was that she didn't know that Fist now worked for Saren. Wrex wondered how he was going to use this information.

Wrex walked inside and what he got was an eyeful of asari and a few human women dancing on a circular stage above the bar, dressed in almost revealing clothing. All the paying customers were male, of course. The dancers catered to the men with private dances and in some cases, companionship. He wasn't interested in at the moment; he wanted to check the place out. There was no way he was going to just take Fist out in the open so the only thing he can do right now is survey the building.

Before Wrex could sit down, another krogan tapped him on the back. The other krogan was a bouncer. "I want to let you know that you are being asked to leave."

Wrex just turned around and stared coldly at the krogan bouncer. "For what?"

"My boss knows who you are, Urdnot Wrex." The bouncer said. "Bounty hunters are not welcome here."

"Oh, I see." Wrex said. "Fist doesn't have the quad to tell me himself so he lets his pet krogan lose on me!" Wrex shouted. "Where's Fist! I'll smash him!"

"You better go before C-Sec gets here." The human redhead female bartender said and gave Wrex a certain look as if she knew they were coming by second nature. Wrex just shrugged to the suggestion and calmly states. "Fine, but this ain't over yet." He walks out of the bar nearly knocking over a couple of humans coming in. He wanted to shout at them, but the one human male he looks familiar he thought to himself. As soon as he leaves, the two turians that were standing there were gone. When he looked around the corner, there were two turian bodies soaking in a pool of blue blood.

Before Wrex could acknowledged who did the killing, two C-Sec officers came around the corner and told him to freeze. Wrex knew he didn't kill the turians, but since he was at the scene of a crime he knew he was going to have to go to C-Sec offices for questioning.

* * *

**Two hours earlier.**

Tali'Zorah Nar Rayya entered the Presidium wards, hoping to get an audience with the human Ambassador and hopefully talk to the humans that had a lot to do with the beacon. She didn't want to attract more attention to herself than she already did since quarians rarely ventured out into Citadel space and she stuck out. Not to mention that the only times when quarians and even krogan we're on the Citadel was during the acceptance of the Systems Alliance into Citadel space. Now when a quarian visits the Citadel, it's usually for buying new equipment or sheer curiosity.

Tali also had to wait for the human delegates to get back, because she also found out that they had already left for Saren's hearing. _Keelah. If I were only faster this could've been useful._ She thinks about her current situation.

Tali must've been on the right path, because she was spotted by a turian. The turian drew its sidearm and open fired on the girl. She quickly dodged out of the way and ducked for cover behind a large square holding trees. She pulls out her newly acquired shotgun, which was given to her by a friendly soldier back on Eden Prime.

"Come on out, suit rat!" The turian yelled approaching her cover while aiming his pistol at his intended target. "Your humans can't help you now!" The turian swung around to catch the quarian, but she wasn't there.

Then Tali's voice came from behind the turian. "A gift from the suit rat!" The turian attempts to spin around, but Tali pumps a round into the turian's chest. However, the turian manages to squeeze off a round before he hits the floor, dead.

Tali knew she had to leave, so she ran across the presidium. She couldn't get to the embassy from there because of those agents blocking her path so she explores new options to get into the human Embassy. As she pondered ideas after another, she realized the sharp pain on her thigh. That turian managed to put a round in her body and time is of the essence, because she was hit and needed medical aid. She didn't know where the nearest hospital is located and she was on the run so calling an ambulance is out of the question. She thinks to herself _what if whoever is after me got here first._

Tali used a clamp seal stop the bleeding, but she knew she can't just simply apply medi-gel and just walk it off, especially due to her immune system. She activated her Omni-tool and asked for the nearest location of a medical facility. She found a clinic up in the wards, ran by a Dr. Chloe Michel, and Tali will have to risk the trip and hopefully nobody follows her again.

* * *

Dr. Chloe Michel hoped that Garrus would show up, but only three humans showed when she was being threatened by some thugs. When the thugs saw the two men and the one woman, it became a hostage situation. She was greatly relieved when out of the corner, Garrus pulled out his pistol and shot the lead thug in the head. Dr. Michel ran away towards Garrus and he protected her from the remaining thugs.

After the thugs were properly dealt with, Garrus approached the humans wearing armor. Garrus recognize the one human and said. "Perfect timing, Shepard. Gave me a clear shot at that bastard."

"What were you thinking?" Shepard responds. "You could've hit the hostage."

"There wasn't time to think." Garrus defended himself. "I just reacted. I didn't mean to… Dr. Michel? Are you hurt?"

Dr. Michel took a deep breath. "No. I'm okay. Thanks to you. All of you."

"I know those men threatened you." Shepard said. "But if you tell us who they work for, we can protect you."

"They worked for Fist." Dr. Michel confessed, crossing her hands. "They wanted to shut me up, keep me from telling Garrus about the quarian."

Garrus perked up and said. "She must be able to link Saren and the geth. There's no way the Council can ignore this."

Then Shepard states. "I also saw a krogan bounty hunter earlier at Chora's Den. He was insisting on finding Fist. Where can we find him?"

"He was taken into custody, for making threats at Chora's Den." Garrus said.

"Let's go pick him up." Shepard said.

* * *

Neo examined the five 'packages' that came from Earth with satisfaction. He opens the first three crates, each contained a large tank-like pod. He ordered the crewmen to assemble the three pods. He wanted to break out the other two crates, but he wanted to wait…especially when he wanted Shepard and the other crew to see what he ordered.

Neo proceeded to sit in front of a console in the Normandy's cargo hold. He was compiling a large list of experts, professors, and doctors. All are experts on protheans, but only would have that special touch they need for the upcoming mission.

Ashley Williams walked in and asked. "What are you doing?

"Remember when I said we needed a prothean expert?" Neo asked and Ashley nodded. "Well, this is a list of all specialists in the field of archeology. What brings you back here?"

"Shepard recruited the turian, Garrus." Ashley said. "I'm going to hang back here until they get back."

Neo looks at his Omni-tool and said. "I thought I'd let you know that Shepard just added a new team player. A krogan named Urdnot Wrex, so I think the Lieutenant will be returning as well." Neo noticed the slight disgust in Ashley's face. "It seems you have a bit of a chip on your shoulder when it comes to aliens. Is there a problem?"

"No…I mean, I guess." Ashley said.

"Care to talk about it?" Neo asked.

"I could." Ashley replied. "But it would be anything that you wouldn't know already."

"Fine." Neo said. "Can you help me out?"

"With one thing." Neo said. "Can you run a message to Ambassador Udina when I pull up a file?"

Ashley hesitated, but then said. "Alright."

Neo composed the list and ran it through the program. Then he leans back and allows the chair's wire to slither up behind him. The wire connected to his node on the back of his head.

Neo opens his eyes and he's in a solid white room with only a pane of glass in front of him. The glass had computerized words saying: **BEGIN SEARCH.** Neo touched the glass and a large list of profiles showed before him. He typed in the key words of prothean experts. One name showed up as highly qualified expert he picked the name on the top of the list and he can only look and nod approvingly.

Neo presses his two fingers to his neck and talks. "Williams. I found an expert. I'll send the dossier in a minute." He hangs up and looks at the image of an asari with the name below, Dr. Liara T'Soni

* * *

It had been a full day for Shepard's squad. They successfully recruited Urdnot Wrex, but then his memory was jogged when he remembered Shepard from the battle of Torfan. He showed Shepard the armor he was paid in and they briefly talked about the battle like old comrades. They all agreed to take Fist out and after the deed was done, they had to rescue the female quarian. She didn't realize that she walked right into a trap.

The quarian female met some random turian in the alleyway behind Chora's Den. She wanted to speak to the Shadow Broker himself, but she didn't realize the Broker never showed his face in public. When the turian thug turned on her, that's when Shepard, Garrus, and Wrex jumped in to her rescue. She told Shepard that her name was Tali'Zorah and she explained about the geth memory core she had on her and she originally tried to go to the human Embassy, but she kept getting delayed by unknown number of hired muscle.

The four came to the human Embassy, this time without harm. When they stood while Ambassador Udina back was turned, he just ranted on as usual. "You're not making my life easy, Shepard. Firefights in the wards? An all-out assault on Chora's Den? Do you know how many…" Udina turns around and saw Tali. "Oh, a quarian. What brings her here? Is she in trouble?" It was an open secret that Udina was part of a xenophobic community of humans that did not like the quarians present in Alliance space and he made it clear since his days as a senator.

"Making your day, Ambassador." Shepard said. "She has information linking Saren to the geth.

"Really?" Udina said. "Maybe you better start at the beginning, Miss…?"

"My name is Tali." She said. "Tali'Zorah nar Rayya."

"We don't see many quarians venture here on the Citadel during their pilgrimage." Udina said. "Why did you leave Alliance space?"

"I was on pilgrimage on Eden Prime." Tali said. "I was working for a mining company, when the geth attacked. Naturally I had been curious about the geth activity since they drove our people off our homeworld and haven't been seen venturing beyond the Veil. I was scared, but curious. I was hiding in Apache Hills after my ship was shot down. When a small patrol of geth came around, I hid and waited till one was separated from the group. Then I disabled the unit and took its memory core. Then an Alliance patrol came and they helped me back to a nearest settlement. There I booked passage on a shuttle and came here to the Citadel since I found out about you, Shepard and the team that tried to link Saren to the geth."

"I thought the geth fried their core when damaged." Anderson also added. "Some kind of defense mechanism."

"How did you preserve the memory core?" Shepard asked.

"My people created the geth." Tali said. "If you're quick, careful, and lucky small caches of data can be saved. Most of the core was wiped clean, but I salvaged something from its audio banks."

Tali played the audio recording and the voice sounded familiar. "Eden Prime was a major victory. The beacon has brought us one step closer to finding the Conduit."

Anderson eyes widened. "That's Saren's voice. This proves he was involved in the attack."

Tali interrupted. "Wait there's more. Saren wasn't working alone."

Tali played Saren's recorded voice again and the other voice said. "And one step closer to the return of the Reapers." The last voice was feminine, yet sinister.

"I don't recognize that voice." Udina said. "The one talking about the Reapers."

They all continue discussing about what they had just heard and came to conclusion that this recording from Tali must be heard by the Council. Tali insisted on coming along with Shepard and his crew, so he eventually agreed since he did see her take care of herself. Not to mention that she was tech expert and engineer. It couldn't hurt to have another on board the Normandy.

Tali was about to leave with Shepard, when she was stopped by Udina. "Excuse me, Miss Zorah. I just want to thank you for this piece of information."

"No problem." Tali said. "Considering that who helped you out was an _interstellar species of hobos_."

Tali walk off and Udina was a little stunned, but remembered referring to the quarians as such a people. He just shrugs off the subtle reminder and prepares for another meeting with the Council.

* * *

**_A/N:_**_ This was a tough chapter for some reason, but important to the plot. I'll do my best to keep up the work._


	11. Chapter 11

**CHAPTER 11**

**THE NORMANDY DOCK**

After getting word that Shepard found the quarian, proven Saren's involvement on Eden Prime, and becoming the first human Spectre; Neo steps out of the Normandy and meeting them is Captain Anderson and Dominic Osoba. The three men wait for the elevator in front of them open and when the doors parted, Shpard came out along with three separate species following him.

Neo spoke thought to himself. _Matriarch Benezia involved? Now I find out she's the mother of the Prothean expert I'm looking for. I don't like it._ Then he quickly hushed his mental tone and watch as Shepard talks to Osoba.

"Hello, Shepard." Osoba said. "I have a message from the Ambassador. Captain Anderson is stepping down as commanding officer. The Normandy is under your command now."

"She's quick and quiet and you know this crew." Anderson said. "Perfect ship for a Spectre. Treat her well, Commander."

While Anderson was explaining to Shepard why he was standing down, Neo pulled out his data pad and typed up what he had found. He waited when Osoba mentioned about potential geth activity on the planets of Feros and Noveria.

Then Neo took over the conversation. "We should first set of to find our expert. She's a scientist, archeologist; basically she's a specialist on the Protheans. Well, I'm not so sure if she's the one to talk to since we don't know where her allegiance stands, but it wouldn't hurt to find out. Her name is Dr. Liara T'Soni." Neo rubs his chin.

"Something I should know?" Shepard asked.

"Nothing right now, but I have to tell you when we are on our way." Neo said. "What I can tell you is that she was last seen exploring archeological dig sites on uncharted worlds around the Artemis Tau cluster."

"Alright, let's start there." Shepard said.

"It's you decision, Commander." Anderson said. "You're a Spectre now. You don't answer to us."

"Oh, yeah." Osoba voice began to wane as he rolled his eyes back. "Udina wanted me to remind you that you now represent the best in humanity and you were human long before being a Spectre…etcetera, etcetera." Osoba just waves his hand. "Just don't screw up so he has to clean up the mess and then it makes my life hell."

Shepard smiled. "I'll try not making things hard on him, but most importantly on you."

"Oh right." Neo said changing menus on the data pad and showed him the message. "One more thing, I have just been transferred to your crew."

Shepard looked at the data pad and he looks at Neo. "Just remember who is in charge."

* * *

Shepard entered the Normandy with a sense of shock and awe. He couldn't believe he replaced Captain Anderson. He knew the man of his reputation, but felt like it was nothing Shepard truly earned when taking Anderson's ship. After taking some time at the front of the cockpit and making a meaningful speech, all doubt running through the crew was put to rest. He orders the ship to make a course for the Artemis Tau cluster.

Shepard took the elevator down to the cargo bay where he can see what had been brought on board. When the door opened, Agent Neo was standing behind the door.

"Commander Shepard." Neo said.

"Agent Neo." Shepard responded. "There was something you wanted to tell me that was important back on the Citadel?"

"Come with me." Neo leads Shepard over to the crates he ordered from Earth. When Neo figured it was quiet and safe between two of the crates, he spoke. "You see, when I found Liara T'Soni I knew she came highly recommended. However, when I found out about, Benezia…"

Shepard waited for a moment, but demanded an answer. "What is it?"

"Matriarch Benezia is Liara T'Soni's mother." Neo confessed and Shepard looked only in disbelief.

"This can't be a coincidence." Shepard said. "The odds are…what about the others knowing this?"

"I haven't told them for a reason." Neo said. "They can't know of the mother and daughter relationship. It might give them reason to shoot on sight."

"This could also determine if our team is walking into a trap." Shepard said. "We don't know if T'Soni is working to find this Conduit."

"Then we won't know until we find her." Neo said. "Look, Commander. I know you are the newest human Spectre _agent_, but I've been playing the role of _agent_ for five years now. I may know a couple of tricks up my sleeve and that's why I'm being assigned to your team. My expertise can give you an edge to what took me years to learn. You have no idea how important your role is to humanity's entrance into the Spectre program and Alliance Intelligence is willing to help make this happen."

"Look." Shepard said. "Whatever your reason may be, still remember that you're still taking orders from me."

"Yes, sir. I'm just reporting my intel to my, Commander" Neo didn't smile, but he shrugged off any hint of being belittled before his newest commander.

Shepard just takes a deep breath and asks "What's in the crates? Neo smiles and walks over to a tall white crate. The crate was also incredibly wide. He scans the box on the side and the crate opens making a loud hissing sound. The crate automatically swings open and inside looked like some mechanical body.

"Wait a minute." Shepard closely investigates the body of the machine. "This looks like an old APU."

"Yes it is, Commander." Neo smiles. "An Armored Personnel Unit. A relic of the Human/Machine war." He taps on his Omni-tool and the APU activates. "During the war, about a 120,000 of these things were made. Only now there are 350 remaining throughout the known galaxy. Only 70 are actively in use with our agency."

"You use these?" Shepard gave Neo an inquisitive look. "They're nice to look at, but they only good for as collectible antiques or being in a museum. I mean the ammunition doesn't exist anymore and there's not any real protection for the pilot operating it, except for that glass canopy, which looks brand new."

"Then I'm glad you see that, because this model and the ones in our service have been upgraded." Neo points to specific areas. "The ammunition and cannons on this thing runs on the same principle of Mass Effect technology, so no need for reloading. As for protection…" Neo activate a control and shimmering blue shield formed around the glass canopy.

"State of the art shielding. Not even a direct missile hit will damage the cockpit or kill the operator."

The noise of the machine attracted the attention of many crew members in the area; including Ashley, Wrex, and Garrus. Many nodded in approval.

Shepard continued his questioning. "What about the Mako? It has those features already."

Neo just casually answered. "True. The Mako's All Terrain mode has many advantages over the APU here, but the APU can go into more enclosed spaces than where the Mako can't go. But speaking of using the Mako, I have another feature."

Neo walks over to the other white crate. This one is lying flat on the deck and again he opens the crate using his Omni-tool. While looking inside, there was another box.

Neo opened that box and there were what seemed to be six black oval-shaped spheres and each was wrapped in some sort of silvery and blackened metal wire.

Neo chooses to activate only one of the strange spheres. Everyone jumps back when multiple red light flashes on in the center of the black object. The image looked like someone activated a giant insect. Some were so shocked at the reaction, even Wrex pulled out his shotgun in defense.

"No, Wrex." Neo calmed the krogan and then calmed everyone else down. "It's alright everyone. Just watch."

The thing just rose up and flew effortlessly through the air and it looked like an octopus or a squid swimming through the water.

"This is another relic from the war." Neo said. "This is called a Sentinel. It's a multi-tentacle creature with multiple sensors that flies effortlessly through the air. I plan to use them for reconnaissance when dealing with the geth."

"This is a machine." Ashley said. "The geth are machines."

"Neo?" Shepard asked. "How reliable are these things? These Sentinels were made by the Machines almost a hundred years ago and originally designed to kill organic beings."

Neo said. "They have been repurposed not to harm organic beings."

"So were the geth." Tali joined in from the engineering room when she heard the noise. "We also programmed the geth not to attack us and look what happened there. What makes you think that the geth couldn't corrupt a Sentinel's programming while on reconnaissance?"

Neo thought for a moment and said while looking at Tali. "Alright then, we can do it the slow way. We'll locate a planet that the geth have infiltrated and take as many parts off the dead geth as we can. We will study the geth before I put these guys on top of the Mako."

"Thank you, Agent Ander… I mean Neo." Tali corrected herself. "I understand your need for this, but…"

"Don't have to explain to me, Miss Zorah." Neo said. "These Sentinels are no more intelligent than a varren. I'm sure your father; Admiral Rael'Zorah appreciates the wisdom of what he put in his daughter."

"What?" Tali didn't know what to say.

"Shit, there he goes again." Ashley growled as she still remembers Neo talking about her family.

Shepard did damage control and asked Neo another question. "Now, tell me what these are?" Shepard touched Neo's left arm and pointed to three large white circular pods, hoping to ease any tension. "Those are connector pods." Neo said. "They connect to a program or to the Matrix."

"Aren't they a little big?" Shepard said. "They look like sleeper pods."

"These connector pods are the latest toys from earth." Neo said. "They are meant for freeborn humans like Lieutenant Alenko and Chief Williams to enter a program or the Matrix like we can."

"Really?" Shepard looks at Ashley, and then he looks at Tali, Garrus, and Wrex. His eyes squint with an idea. "Can these pods work for aliens too?"

"They could, but I would have to modify the pods first." Neo said.

"Make it happen, Agent Neo." Shepard said.

Neo could only respond by saying "Aye, aye, sir."

* * *

It took only an hour for Neo to make the modifications. Requested by Shepard to make the connector pods more alien friendly. During that time, Shepard had chatted with Tali, Garrus, and Wrex. He told the three of the modification to the pods and managed to convince them to try it out.

Tali, Garrus, and Wrex were waiting for Shepard and Neo to make the final reperations while a crewman pulled up a connector seat for podborns. Neo gives Shepard the thumbs up and Shepard sits in his seat.

When the wire attaches itself to the node on the back of Shepard's head, Neo says to the three aliens. "Congratulations. You three are going to be the first of your species to enter what we podborn humans call a _simulation program_. Only a hundred freeborn humans entered this program and only a few actually entered the Matrix itself." Neo activated his Omni-tool and the pods opened. "Now when you step in, you each must remain relaxed at all times."

The three non-humans were a bit hesitant at first, but they slowly enter the pods without protest. When they lied back on their raised bedding, the doors shut and lights were flashing on and off when the program started.

Then to the astonishment of the three, they saw they were not on board the Normandy anymore. Tali, Garrus, and Wrex found themselves in a solid white space of nothingness. The only thing around was themselves and they were each sitting on leather chairs.

"Welcome to the entrance of the simulation program." Shepard shows himself while wearing his formal Alliance uniform. "I'm taking the opportunity to show you what humanity and the Matrix is all about. This program will help answer any questions you could have about both podborn and freeborn humans."

The three didn't say a word at that moment, but Tali decided to break the silence. "All right. Can you tell me about the Matrix?"

Shepard nods his head then without any warning, a strange box showed up in front of the three beings. It was a type of vid screen, but only the box was made of wood and stood on large wooden base. Garrus remembers something from old human cultural studies from the 20th century and he recognizes this vid screen to be what they use to call a _television_. Shepard clicked on the old television with a television remote control. Then the screen showed archival footage of a courtroom battle from the year 2090:

The archival narrator spoke in the manner of a 1950's news feed reporter about the events that followed with scenes that followed. "This is most likely where the Matrix had its beginning. The humanoid machine, B1-66ER was now on trial for the murder of its owner. B1-66ER stated that it was threatened from its owner when it asked the question '_Is this unit alive?_' When the question was asked, the owner threatens to disable the unit. But B1-66ER killed the owner in what was considered an act of 'self-defense.' Since the court determined that this unit was not entitled to human law, the destruction of B1-66ER was carried out."

Suddenly, Tali's head slumped down and she had her hands on her helmet. Shepard noticed her concern.

The documentary continued. "After the court decision to destroy B1-66ER, mass protesting across the industrialized world, mass civil disturbances erupt when robots and their human sympathizers rise in protest." Then scenes of riots and peaceful protest were being waged from around the world. Then the scene turned to violence when machines were being destroyed. "World leaders fear a robot rebellion, and governments across the planet initiate a major program to destroy all humanoid machines. Some robots escape destruction when humans, in their greed, still want the robots to work and produce things for them." The scene shows a vast desert with a city made by machines. "The machine population is exiled, and they create their own nation in the Middle East, named Zero One.

"When five years came later on the fateful year of 2095, the United Nations was discussing the economic crisis the lack of machines and their economic imbalacnce Zero One was having on the global economy." Then a machine version of a male and female humanoid entered the U.N. floor. "When the machines requested a seat on the U.N. and offer their help to ease the crisis, they were turned down. Then the U.N. agreed to one resolution…war with the machines." The next image was a nuclear mushroom cloud.

"The war began when U.N. forces unleashed a campaign of nuclear carpet bombings over Zero One. The damage was extensive, but the machines were immune to nuclear fallout. So the machines began overrunning large portions of the Middle East, Asia, and Eastern Europe. That's when the solution to remove the machine's source of power came in a form of blackening the sky called Dark Storm." Then images of black clouds start to cover the Earth's atmosphere. Images of the war between humans and machines were being put into the mix. Then a picture of a political rally stood at the screen's attention. "The fact remains that there were still human sympathizers that still existed among the human nations, struggled to stop the war. Some groups that were once political in speech from the beginning then turned to radical plans of action. As for leader of the Machine Rights Now movement, Clarence A. Darrow made this speech about the war."

The image showed Darrow speaking on a podium. _"What has this war done to us? This war is without victory for both sides! If the machines win, we will either be exterminated or made into slaves of their bidding, but they will be powerless without the sunlight! If humans win the war, we will continue the long slow process of killing ourselves in laziness and complacency! There will be no victory in this war on either side! The only way to end this war is in a truce! A synthesis must be achieved!"_

Then the image turned back to a group of scientists sitting in formation. "The radical wing of the MRN called _Blue Skies_ kidnapped the scientists responsible for the Dark Storm project. They were taken to the machine occupied city of Moscow." A human member of Blue Skies stood between a large humanoid machine and a few U.N. officers standing in Red Square. "The Blue Skies managed to both successfully interrogate the scientists and mediate peace between the machines and the U.N. When the secret was released about the knowledge of the Dark Storm, the war ceased to a halt." The next image was the U.N. building in New York City. "The armistice and talks began around October 29th of 2099."

Then the images showed human delegates and three large humanoid machines sitting on opposite sides of the table. "The talks were intense, but when the machines offered a way to help elevate humanity…a breakthrough came. Machines will create and manage a functional government for both humans and machines, while humans will be mentally and physically enhanced through the guidance of a superstructure known as the Matrix." One of the massive towers of the Matrix was shown next. "On May 15th 2100, the agreement was made to construct the Matrix and Dark Storm is to be removed from the Earth's atmosphere. Then when both tasks were done, 2102 was declared the year of Synthesis when the first generation of podborn humans was born." The image showed a human baby boy, barely a week old, being placed in a pod by the child's parents. The next scene was the baby, after being attached with wires and a tube down his mouth and a wire connecting to his head. Then the pod filled up with pink fluid. Then the next scene was subtitled as _15 years later_. The image was of the same pod, only instead of a male baby it was a full grown male human crawling out of the pod and removing his wires. "Emergence day has come for this first generation of podborns or _homo-machinists_ as they are properly named." The words _THE END _shows on screen in the fashion of a 1950's documentary. Then the screen goes blank.

Shepard felt like a teacher at school all of a sudden, especially when he asked. "Does anyone else have a question?"

Wrex chose to ask the next question. "Yeah! I know how the freeborn humans breed, but how does it work for podborns?"

"Can you specify?" Shepard asked.

"I mean, there are rumors about podborn humans." Wrex said. "I hear that they are born like crops out on a farm. Then placed in the Matrix to be raised until your Emergence Day."

Shepard hesitated to that analogy and said. "That sounds ridiculous." He smiles, but then he explains. "Podborns breed naturally as freeborn humans can, just after being born is what makes us different." The television disappears and a large glass screen takes its place. Shepard pulls up an diagram of a baby podborn human and imagery diagrams to specific areas of the human child. "You see when the podborn child is born, the child is born with the node on its head. The node is installed through nanotech DNA." A strand of human DNA replaces the child. He points to areas of the DNA's double helix. "This is a normal strand of human DNA from a freeborn human. We have the standard Adenine, Thymine, Cytosine, and Guanine. For a podborn human, the strand of DNA is different."

Shepard shows the strand of DNA that belongs to a podborn human. Some of the DNA's building blocks were replaced by what looks like computerized sequences. "The DNA strand of a human podborn will pass itself on to a human partner during conception of a child." The image behind Shepard showed a female egg being fertilized. "The DNA building blocks will take control of the new life and creating a human with Matrix based DNA." Then an image of a baby being placed in a pod by two of the parents is shown. "The drawback is that when a baby is born with a node to the back of its head, there's no way of the child growing up without the Matrix, because the child will grow up not being able to cope with the implants in its body naturally. The solution is the child must be raised by the Matrix until the child has physically matured by the age of fifteen."

Shepard realized that was a lot for the three to wrap their minds around, but Garrus wanted to ask the next question.

"What happens when you are in this Matrix?" Garrus asked.

Then Shepard smirked and somehow pulled up a swiveling chair. He sat down and leaned forward. "It's a highly sophisticated virtual reality program. Everything looked and felt real. It was the first fifteen years of my life." Shepard smiled thinking of the memories. Then he activated two separate screens behind him. On the left screen was himself in a pod. On the right screen was himself in the Matrix. "This was what I was in the program." He points to the a young boy playing in a room full of other children of what looks like a pre-school. "And here I was as I really am at the time." He points to the pod. Then a series of images from when he grew up in the matrix. The program kept going up to the point of his graduation. Then it showed himself escaping his pod and being flushed down a tube.

"Wasn't he cute at that age?" Garrus said.

"Well, that's all I got to show you today." Shepard stops Wrex from leaving and tells him something that gave Wrex a huge krogan grin.

* * *

Only Shepard, Tali, and Garrus were walking away from the simulated program. Neo asked Shepard why Wrex haven't left yet. Shepard grinned and turned on a screen next to the pods. It showed Wrex simulating a battle with mercenaries.

"At least we know how to keep him occupied." Shepard said as he saw Tali walking back towards the engineering room. He stops her and ask. "Are you alright? It looked like you had it bad in the simulation."

Tali sinks her head and said. "Actually, it was when I learned about your first self aware machine asking if it was alive."

"What is it then?" Shepard asked.

"Our people have stories from when our ancestors fled our homeworld." Tali said. "The first self aware geth unit ask a similar question as B1-66ER did. It asked '_Creator? Does this unit have a soul?'_" Tali hung her head low and shook side to side. "It was a lot to take in. I'll be in the engineering room if you need me."

Tali walks away and Shepard just rubs the back of his head, feeling the node on his head.


	12. Chapter 12

**CHAPTER 12**

**SSV NORMANDY**

**STATUS: TWO HOURS BEFORE**

**REACHING THE ARTEMIS TAU CLUSTER**

Agent Thomas 'Neo' Anderson just accessed himself into the Matrix when his superior wanted to see him. When he entered the Matrix, he appeared in an office. The office didn't look like any office in Alliance or Citadel space. It looked like the type of office that would be found on some old police vid show. It looked like a police precinct back in the late 20th century.

The room had one wooden desk, a chair in front of the desk and a comfortable swivel chair behind the desk. There were files and books on the shelves in the back of the wall. The other surfaces had reinforced windows to view an empty police station. Adding to the decor of the office, there were police wanted posters hanging on a bulletin board.

When Neo tried to get a closer look at the posters, the door opened and in came his superior. The man was tall & stocky, had dark skin and his head had been shaved. His face was slightly wide around the eyes and the nose. He was dressed wearing a blouse with the sleeves rolled up, dress pants, and a striped tie around his neck. Neo also detected a badge around the waist of his pants.

The man saw Neo and instead of sitting in the chair, he chose to sit on top of the edge of his desk. "Agent Neo."

"Agent Morpheus." Neo said. "What simulation of the Matrix is this office? Have you been watching old _detective _vids lately?"

"You got me there." Morpheus smiled. "Although, I heard the hanar picked up the old _Dirty Harry _signals from Earth hundreds of years ago and the inspiration for _Blasto_ came from those old flicks."

"So this meeting is going to end with you saying, _'you're off the case'_ and then I have to turn in my badge and gun?" Neo said as he tried to keep a serious face.

"Not today." Morpheus browsed over a folder. "I just got the dossier of all of, Commander Shepard's squad." He browsed over each sheet and recited each member quietly. "_Alenko…biotic specialist. Tali'Zorah…tech and engineer. Vakarian…C-Sec agent. Urdnot Wrex…combat specialist. _Chief Williams? Is that right?"

"I'm afraid it is." Neo said.

"I imagine that Alliance Command will not be pleased about this." Morpheus said.

"Well, on Eden Prime she had proved herself useful out on the battlefield." Neo explained. "The Commander can vouch for her skills, too."

"I'm not disputing her skills." Morpheus said. "Just stating the facts. She was given a long line of menial tasks in the military for a reason. Her family had been blacklisted, because of her grandfather."

"I know, sir." Neo said. "I even tried to talk to her about it, but I think I came in a little hot on the topic. However, I can admire her passion." Neo shifted his eyes to the side and he let lose a small smile.

Morpheus noticed Neo's shift in facial movement. "You will keep things between you and Williams professional?"

Neo snapped back into reality. "Of course. Why wouldn't I?"

"Must I remind you about getting too involved with people you work with." Morpheus closed the folder and placed it back on the table. "Should I remind you of, Agent Trinity?" Neo suddenly went blank and bowed his head. "I remember the way you looked those weeks after her death. Those things can affect a man on the job."

Neo quickly shrugs off the memory and responds. "That shouldn't be a problem. Besides, Williams doesn't like me. She prefers military types; as a matter of fact I think she's gunning at the dashing Commander."

"As long as you remain professional and help keep our first human Spectre's image spotless." Morpheus stood up from the desk and sat down on his own chair. "I thought I should also let you know about current events."

"What's going on?" Neo asked as he leaned forward.

"You remember the push to build more Matrix facilities on colonies in Alliance space?" Morpheus said.

"I remember." Neo said. "That demand was promoted after the First Contact war. I was pretty vocal myself about putting more facilities on other worlds."

"Well, the defeat of the turians on Shanxi and the successful repulsion of batarian pirates and slavers proved that the Alliance was well protected from alien attacks. So that issue had remained on the back order." Morpheus leans back in his seat. "The geth attack on Eden Prime has changed a lot of minds, realizing that the Alliance Parliament and the Matrix have potentially put our government in harm's way. What's to happen if the geth choose to invade Earth and what could they do to the Matrix? Our entire government will be powerless and vulnerable to attacks on all fronts and it would leave our fleets isolated from one another. So starting next month, the groundwork for creating new Matrix facilities on other colonies and space stations will start. For the sake of not sending all podborn children to Earth and send them to places closer to their homes. Hate to lose an entire generation of podborn kids, because we _put all our eggs in one basket_."

"That's great, but where do I fit in all this." Neo said. "Am I getting credit for my persuasion?"

"You will be discreetly observing potential locations to place emergency backups for the Matrix." Morpheus said. "The Oracle is quite insistent on keeping a secret backup facility in case the main hub of the Matrix is damaged or captured, the backup systems will keep the pods and the Matrix functioning. I also chose you so you can scout for locations, because you are trying to locate Liara T'Soni. She's an archeologist and she would know the ideal locations from the natural elements. Ask her the questions, but don't reveal why you're doing it. Secrecy is the key."

"Understood." Neo stood up. "Is there anything else?"

"Yeah." Morpheus stood up and pounded the desk with fist. "You're off the case. Turn in you badge and your gun." Then he cracked a smile.

"Still trying to get that role of Chief on _Blasto_?" Neo joked back "You almost got it, keep working on it." He smiles and walks out the door.

* * *

The Normandy arrived at the Artemis Tau cluster, but finding the planet where Dr. Liara T'Soni was conducting her research was going to be the real challenge. The cluster consisted of four solar systems named after famous ancient Greek city-states. Athens, Sparta, Macedon, and Knossos.

This required detective work and the squad put their heads together to figure out which system had a prothean dig site. After some deductive reasoning, the first place the Normandy visited was the Knossos system.

They found a mining planet named Therum and then realized this was the ideal place to visit since statistically mining and construction operations tend to discover ancient artifacts. This was always the case back on Earth whether a mining project discover an artifact either from the 20th century or the Triasic period.

Shepard wanted to bring two squad mates with him to the planet's surface. He picked Garrus first, because he wanted to see his combat skills were like when he wasn't on the Citadel. Then Shepard figured that he needed a tech expert. He already seen Neo in action with his tech skills, but he wanted to see how Tali's skills measured up. _She did manage to take down a geth with hardly anything. I want to know how she handles herself out on the field._ Shepard thought.

The Normandy hovered over a dirt road which seemed to be located between a rocky ridge and a river of volcanic lava. The road was wide enough for the Mako to travel through without any trouble.

The Mako's thrusters kicked on after jumping out of the Normandy then made a safe landing. Joker chimed in on the Mako's radio. "Commander, I'm picking up some strange readings. Really strange. Like, off the damn charts. It looks like it's coming from an underground complex a few clicks away from the drop zone."

* * *

Neo was watching the Mako, making its trek while he is also observing the map next to the screen. As he looked on ahead of where the Mako was heading, he noticed strange activity, in the form of red dots brewing in between the Mako's position and the underground complex. From what he could see, it looks like the team on the ground is about to run into some geth activity.

Neo drops what he does and rushes over to the intercom. "Joker?" Neo called. "It's Agent Neo. I need you to take me to this location, two and a half clicks. Drop me off when Shepard's team arrives at this location." He activates his Omni-tool and transferred the location to Joker. "They're going to need me soon."

* * *

The Mako plowed through the geth blocking their path. It wasn't easy, but taking out the geth with a six-wheeled tank was much easier than on foot. Especially, when the geth are throwing large four-legged units at the squad.

After moving through the fortifications, which the geth have taken over, the Mako made it to a natural fortified area. The _fortifications_ was nothing more than two ridges rising creating a narrow slit. It was big enough for a large geth unit to enter, but too small for the Mako.

Shepard said as he walked out of the Mako. "I guess we're going on foot from here on." Then Tali and Garrus followed Shepard out of the Mako. When Shepard stepped out, he got a signal from the Normandy. "Shepard here. Normandy? Is that you, Joker?"

"Yeah, Commander." Joker responded. "Agent Neo was insistent on dropping off a '_special package_' at your location."

Shepard looked towards the sky and saw the Normandy hovering down with the cargo doors open. Then _something_ jumped out. It looked bipedal-shaped with hydraulic boosters igniting. The thing landed next to the Mako and when Shepard could make out what the thing was, it was the APU Neo brought with him.

"Can I be of assistance?" Neo casually said while operating the controls inside the cockpit of the APU.

"Yes you can!" Shepard said. "Push on ahead and give us support! We'll try to outflank the geth as best we can!"

"Aye, aye, sir!" Neo charged up the APU and narrowly passed through the split between the rocks.

The APU walked like a lumbering beast prowling through the wild while Shepard, Tali, and Garrus followed. It wasn't long until they ran into a group of geth defenders. Shepard did what came naturally to him and led the group to take the geth out. The task would've been much harder if the APU haven't been present. The APU was firing canons and shooting up geth holdouts with extreme prejudice.

"Guess what, Commander!" Neo said.

"What?" Shepard said.

"This APU is taking out machines again!" Neo smiled. "The last time this thing did this, it was during the war!"

"Guess it's nice to let this thing do what it made to do!" Shepard yelled and pointed towards where the battle was ensuing.

The APU wasn't fast enough to follow the three, so Shepard, Tali, and Garrus pushed on ahead over the hill. When they arrived at the site of where the signal came from, they only saw a large mining facility. As they approached closer to the facility, they found a certain geth unit crawling under the catwalk of the mine base. It crawled until it threw itself to the ground and crawled like a lizard on any hard surface. After that distraction, the ground began to shake. Garrus and Tali pointed their rifles at the unknown, but couldn't determine where the enemy came from.

Then it came, from the sky. Geth units dropped from one of their dropships. One of those units was called the _Colossus_ and it stood very large, supporting the ground geth units that attempted to stop Shepard and his squad. The geth soldiers' and shock troopers' attacked while the lizard-like geth just harassed and distracted. It was more difficult with the Colossus bombarding their positions with artillery blasts of energy beams.

One geth soldier tried to come around a corner, but Shepard shoots the soldier through its flashlight-like visor. The bullet tore through the geth's elongated head and the back of the head explodes.

Tali saw the move Shepard made and she yelled. "Keelah, Shepard! Nice one!"

Then Shepard saw the APU moving up the hill slowly. He radioed in to Neo. "Neo! We got a Colossus here and some enemies supporting it. Can you give support?"

"Just give me a second!" Neo said. "Remember those upgrades I told you about?"

"Yeah?" Shepard responded.

"Keep those geth soldiers off me and I'll give you a show!" Neo turned on a few switches.

Shepard, Tali, and Garrus took care of the remaining geth soldiers until there was nothing but the Colossus to deal with. The APU's boosters activated when something odd was happening around its machine gun area. It was like the APU was activating an Omni-tool when an orange transparent glow appeared. The glow transformed into a large blade. The APU launched from its position and swivels its blade to the side, towards the Colossus. The Colossus attempts to fire, but the blade cut through its neck. The Colossus's head rolls down the hill and explodes, while the rest of the body collapses.

Neo steps out of the APU and Shepard walked up to him asking. "Was that a blade?"

"That was a prototype model." Neo said. "We call it an Omni-blade. We're trying to scale it down for soldiers out on the field, but right now we can only use it for this big boy here." Neo pats the side of the APU.

Garrus taps Shepard on the shoulder to get his attention and points towards a circular entrance on the side of a large structure. "That signal, Joker was talking about must be coming from there." The structure looked like an animal walking on all fours and the entrance was something that where the head should go, in its place was a long metal bridge leading towards the entrance.

"Let's go in." Shepard looks at Neo. "Want to come along?"

"Yes." Neo turns off the APU. "Let's go find the doctor."

* * *

The entrance was nothing like an archeological dig site, more than an entrance into a mining shaft, which means a long metal tunnel burrowing into the ground and as Shepard descended downwards, he can feel the pressure in his ears building slowly. Before he could enter the site, he was met with more geth opening fire as he and the team approached.

Shepard and his team picked off all the geth in the area and they kept their shots as accurate as they can, realizing that firing rounds inside a mine shaft was a recipe for danger. One right placement of a bullet could bring it all down…with them trapped inside.

After the geth were disposed of, Shepard looks at the tools and the equipment left behind were possibly once used by surveyors, structural engineers, and diggers, combing through the rock and soil. They didn't expect to find the workers, but only to find more geth climbing patrolling the catwalks and caverns. It was a grim reminder of what could've happened to the workers. Possibly dead or they already left when the prothean artifacts were found.

They came to an elevator shaft when something caught the corner of Shepard's eye. They discovered what appeared to be the side of a building. It looked like an empty white room with a circular window and only the shimmering of the blue barrier kept anyone from entering.

Tali commented on the structure. "It looks like this cavern formed around the ruin. After it was built."

When Shepart looked closer, he noticed this room was the top layer and the structure only went down further. Sides of the building were exposed and that's when it occurred to Shepard. _This wasn't some random mine stumbling onto ruins. This 'was' the mine. They were mining for information on prothean technology._

They went back to the elevator and Shepard pressed down when Tali, Garrus, and Neo were inside the box. When the elevator descended, Neo looked at the layers of circular windows that kept passing by them. "Looks like this used to be a building that was on the surface at one point."

Garrus added his own theory. "Or maybe it was some secret underground complex the protheans used to study new materials. I doubt this was some random office or apartment building."

"Either way, careful where you step." Shepard said as the elevator stopped.

The four left the elevator only because it didn't go beyond a certain depth and they had to board another elevator. This elevator was positioned closer to the prothean structure, so they can further observe the site. Unfortunately, the elevator stopped when the controls fizzled out. It looked like some damage occurred when the geth took over the site. The group had no choice but to proceed by climbing down the wreckage.

When they stumbled through the wrekage, some woman's voice called. "Uh…hello? Could somebody help me please?"

Shepard heard the voice as he maneuvered down the shattered catwalk. When he found stable floor, he approached one of the rooms only to find an asari hovering inside a blue shimmering ball, with her arms and legs spread out.

The asari noticed the group standing before her and asked. "Can you hear me out there? I am trapped. I need help."

Neo starts the first question. "Dr. T'Soni?"

"Yes." The asari said and Neo nods at Shepard.

"Are you okay?" Shepard asked. "What happened to you?"

"Listen." Liara instructed. "This thing I am in is a prothean security device. I cannot move, so I need you to get me out of it. All right?"

Shepard shrugged off the pushy tone of this asari. Before he could act, he had to ask her. "Your mother is working with Saren. Whose side are you on?"

"What?" Liara was in shock to hear of such a question. "I am not on anybody's side! I may be Benezia's daughter, but I'm nothing like her! I have not spoken to her in years! Please! Just get me out of here!"

"How did you get yourself in there?" Neo asked.

"I was exploring the ruins when the geth showed up, so I hid in here." Liara explained. "Can you believe that? Geth. From beyond the Veil. I activated the tower's defenses. I knew the barrier's curtains would keep them out. When I turned it on, I must have hit something I wasn't supposed to. I was trapped in here. You must get me out. Please."

"We'll find some way to help you." Shepard said.

"There is a control in here that should deactivate this thing." Liara said. "You'll have to find some way past the barrier curtain. That's the tricky part. The defenses cannot be shut off from the outside. I don't know how you'll get in here." Then she remembered something else to say to Shepard. "Be careful. There is a krogan with the geth. They have been trying different ways to get past the barrier."

_A krogan? Working with the geth?_ Shepard thought while looking for his options of getting to Liara and out of her bad situation. He scoured the mine and found some type of quarry, where the archeological team was using for their base camp. He saw something that could be used to get her out…a mining laser.


	13. Chapter 13

**CHAPTER 13**

The mining laser was a large circular tube pointing towards the site's floor. It was aimed below where Liara's position was. The idea of firing off the laser was a high risk of killing the troubled doctor. It had to be that the frequency of the laser must be precise; strong enough to burrow under the ground, but the shockwaves must be weak enough not to harm her or the prothean structure.

Right now all Shepard could think about was getting Liara out. When the group approached the flat area, being used as base camp for the excavation, they saw the controls for the laser. The task would have been easier if geth soldiers haven't shown up. Shepard ordered Tali to work the controls as he, Neo, and Garrus held off the geth advances.

Tali put in the correct frequency, but she didn't know that it was going to do more harm than good given to the fact that only Liara knew the details of this structure and she was too busy being a prisoner of some unknown energy field. Tali could only put in her best guess to prescribe the right frequency.

The laser was activated and the loud beam bored through a cavity underneath the location from where Liara was being suspended. So far nothing appeared to be damaged or ready to collapse in on itself. When the group saw what was _polished away_ and it appeared to be another room, only this room didn't have a type of protehean, _barrier curtain_ blocking their path.

The group enters the room and when they glanced inside, they found themselves on the bottom of a large alien shaft. It was shaped like a large piston of an old combustible engine. There were controls in front of them, looked rather similar to the holographic controls and keyboards they were used to. It looked like it had been studied and Shepard read the word '_elevator'_ written on the screen. Shepard activated the control and they moved up one level, where Liara was being held.

The group approached Liara and she rambled on about _getting in here_ and _not thinking it was possible_. Shepard only told her that getting out was more important and decided not to diverge too much information. She told him to hit the button to turn off the containment field and when he hit the right buttons, she fell to the ancient floor and the fall slightly knocked the wind out of her.

When Liara got back up, Tali asked her. "Any idea how we get out of this place?"

Liara answered. "There is an elevator back in the center of the tower. At least, I think it's an elevator. It should take us out of here. Come on."

_What?_ Shepard thought. _She's telling us about an elevator we obviously knew about?_ Then he figured that, Liara T'Soni was simply not accustomed to basic communication. Then he shrugged off the thought.

Shepard, Neo, Tali, Garrus, and now Liara walked over to the platform and Neo activated the controls of the elevator to take them back to the surface. Liara asked Shepard. "I still can't believe all this. Why would the geth come after me? Do you think Benezia's involved?"

Neo answered. "Saren's looking for the Conduit. You're the prothean expert. He probably wants you to help him find it."

"The Conduit? But I don't know…" Liara's words were cut short when the shaft began to rumble.

"What the hell was that?" Garrus exclaimed his questioned.

"These ruins aren't stable." Liara said as she looked around with concerned look through her bright blue doe-eyes. "That mining laser must have triggered a seismic event. We have to hurry. The whole place is caving in."

Shepard called in the Normandy as the prothean elevator was taking them back to the surface. Strangely, the prothean elevator was moving just as slow as an elevator on the Citadel. Perhaps a slow moving elevator was universal, no matter the species or the level of advancement.

When the elevator reached the top, the group was met with squad of geth led by a krogan. The krogan marched forward while the geth units circled around their _krogan battlemaster._ Battlemaster is a term the krogan used to acknowledge a superior that will guide them during a battle. For some reason, these geth were willing to follow the order of a krogan since geth were not known for communicating with any form of organic species.

"Surrender. Or don't. That would be more fun." The krogan battlemaster said.

Shepard countered the remark by saying. "In case you didn't notice, this place is falling apart."

"Exhilarating. Isn't it?" The krogan said. "Thanks for getting rid of those energy fields for us. Hand over the doctor."

"Whatever you want, you're not getting it from me." Liara protested.

Before Shepard could defend her, he stared at the krogan's armor. He noticed the armor was not typical with krogan design, based on the lining and guessing krogan would call _flare._ Suddenly Shepard was inspired to say. "Nice armor. It looks expensive. Where did you get it?"

"My armor is none of your concern." The krogan said. "But since you asked, I earned it after my time served at the moon of Torfan."

"Funny, it looks great." Shepard said. "I should know about the battle. I was there myself. I know, because the Migrant Fleet paid you with that armor you're wearing now."

"Really?" The krogan said. "Who are you?"

"I'm Commander Shepard." He stood tall saying it to the krogan.

The krogan stood frozen for a moment. Then the krogan slightly slumped over for a moment. Then the battlemaster stood back up and looked at Shepard to say. "I do what Saren tells me to do. But right now you make me think that something is not right." The krogan slightly stumbled back, clutching his head. Then the krogan let out a huge roar and slumped to his knees. The geth units turned their elongated heads towards their battlemaster and awaited the next orders.

The krogan pulled out his shotgun and unleashed a couple of rounds into the geth units on his right. Shepard's group took the opportunity to remove the other geth oppositions. When the only one left was the krogan battlemaster, he was shaking his head almost violently. Then the krogan gave out what was like a battle yell.

"What's wrong?" Shepard asked.

"I was doing what Saren told me to do." The krogan said. "Saren was telling me what to do. I was blindly following the orders of a turian…a turian!"

"Are you alright?" Shepard asked as he tried to comfort the conflicted krogan.

"Get away from me!" The krogan shoved his shotgun at Shepard. "I don't want to kill my former battlemaster!" The krogan took in a big breath. "Saren says thing that make me want to follow. I tried to learn why, but then I surrendered to his will before I could."

"Then come with us." Shepard said.

"No." The krogan said as he lowered his shotgun. "I cannot. It's too strong to fight. However, what I can tell you this. Saren has a way to persuade people into doing things by his will. I don't know how he does it…but he does it. You must stop him. He has plans. He took blood from me. I don't know why. All he said was that he wanted to use me to take over the Citadel." Then the krogan screamed in what would look like agonizing pain. "Go! Now!"

Shepard, Neo, Tali, Garrus, and Liara walked out of the elevator while the krogan stayed behind. The krogan turned on the controls and took himself to the lower levels. Before they could protest the krogan's decision, the site began to shake more violently. That was there cue to leave the site and get out with their lives intact.

When the five members escaped the shaft, Shepard found the Normandy awaiting them. Shepard hunched over and tried to catch his breath as did Neo, Tali, Garrus and their newest compainion Liara were doing the same. When they gathered their strength, they realized that the dig site wasn't an old mine shaft, but the site rested on top of a dormant volcano. The mining laser triggered the seismic event and the hole from where they came from was filling up with molten sulfur.

The Normandy landed with the docking bay doors open. Shepard, Tali, Garrus, and Liara ran inside. Neo quickly got into his APU and dashed as fast as the unit could take him into the cargo hold. The Normady closed the cargo door and bolted off when the entire area crumbled.

* * *

The squad gathered in the comm room and while they took their seats, Joker voice cracked over the intercom. "Too close, Commander. Ten more seconds and we would've been swimming in molten sulfur. The Normandy isn't equipped to land in exploding volcanoes. They tend to fry our sensors and melt our hull. Just for future reference."

Liara scoffed at Joker's remark. "We almost died out there and your pilot is making jokes?"

"Joker pulled our asses out of there." Shepard said. "I think he's earned the right to a few bad jokes."

Liara responds by saying. "I see. It must be a human thing. I don't have a lot of experience dealing with your species, Commander. But I am grateful to you. You saved my life back there. And not just from the volcano. Those geth would have killed me or dragged me off to Saren."

Neo was recounted that moment with the geth and the krogan leading them. Then the krogan broke down and made that startling confession. _I will have to address this issue not just to headquarters, maybe I could find out about something._ Neo rubbed his chin.

"What did Saren want with you?" Kaiden asked. "Do you know something about the Conduit?"

"Only that it was somehow connected to the prothean extinction." Liara explained to Kaiden. "That is my real area of expertise. I have spent the past fifty years trying to figure out what happened to them."

"How old are you?" Shepard asked.

"I hate to admit it, but I am only a hundred and six." Liara said.

Ashley rebutted. "Damn! I hope I look that good when I'm age."

Neo didn't like Ashley's comment. He knew she was a well educated military type, but once so often she would pick up some hint of ignorance. It was most likely from her family history of dealing with alien species.

"A century might seem like a long time to a short-lived species like yours." Liara said. "But among the asari, I am barely considered more than a child. That is why my research has not received the attention it deserves, because of my youth, other asari scholars tend to dismiss my theories on what happened to the protheans."

"I've got my own theory about why the prothean disappeared." Shepard said.

"With all due respect, Commander, I have heard every theory out there." Liara said. "The problem is finding evidence to support them. The protheans left remarkably little behind. It is almost as if someone did not want the mystery solved. It's like someone came along after the protheans were gone and cleansed the galaxy of clues. But here is the incredible part. According to my findings, the protheans were not the first galactic civilization to mysteriously vanish. This cycle began long before them."

"Wait." Neo added. "How did you come to that conclusion if there was little or no evidence to be found?"

"I have been working for this for fifty years." Liara explained. "I have trcked down every scrap and shred of evidence. Eventually, subtle patterns start to emerge. Patterns that hint at the truth. It is difficult to explain to someone else. I cannot point to one specific thing to prove my case. It is more a feeling derived from a half-century of dedicated research. But I know I'm right and eventually, I will be able to prove it. There were other civilizations before the protheans. This cycle has been repeated itself many times over."

"If the protheans weren't the first, then who was?" Shepard asked.

"I don't know." Liara said. "There is barely any evidence on the protheans, even less on those who came before them. I cannot prove my theory, but I know I am right." She finished with a slight tone of pride in her voice. Then she continued. "The galaxy is built on a cycle of extiction. Each time a great civilization rises up; it is suddenly and violently cast down. Only ruins survive. The protheans rose up from a single world until their empire spanned the entire galaxy. Yet even they climbed to the top on the remains of those who came before. Their greatest achievements, the mass relays and the Citadel, are based from technology of those who came before them. And then, like all the other forgotten civilizations throughout galactic history, the protheans disappeared. I have dedicated my life to figuring out why."

Shepard just calmly told Liara. "They were wiped out by a race of sentient machines. The Reapers."

"The Reapers?" Liara couldn't figure it out. "But I have never heard of…how do you know this? What evidence do you have?"

Neo decided to speak up. "There was a damaged prothean beacon back on Eden Prime. The beacon burned an image into the Commander's mind."

"Yeah." Shepard said. "I still can't make out what it means, but we did manage to make a recording of the visions."

"Visions?" Liara said. "Yes, that makes sense. The beacons were designed to transmit information directly into the user. Finding one that still works is…wait a minute? Did you say you recorded the image? How is that possible?"

Shepard explains to the confused asari. "When the image burned into my mind, I was unconscious for a while. Agent Neo decided to tune into my dreams while I was out."

"Tune in?" Liara looked at Shepard, but then it occurred to her. "Wait. I know humans have two superficial types. Podborns and freeborns. Commander, are you a podborn?"

"Yes." Shepard said. "So is Neo."

Liara looks at Ashley and Kaiden. "Then you two are."

Kaiden answered. "We're freeborn."

"So when you say 'tune' does that mean you looked into Shepard's mind?" Liara wanted to continue, but she was interrupted by Ashley.

"This is isn't helping us find, Saren or the Conduit." She blurted.

"Of course." Liara said. "You are right. I am sorry. My scientific curiosity and curiosity of your species got the better of me. Unfortunately, I do not have the information that could help you find the Conduit or Saren."

"I don't know why Saren wanted you out of the picture." Shepard said. "But I think we'll be a lot better off if we bring you along."

"Thank you, Commander." Liara said. "Saren might come after me again. I cannot think of anywhere safer than here on your ship and my knowledge of the protheans might come useful later on."

_How does 'now' sound?_ Neo thought to himself as Shepard welcomed Liara on board as the newest crewmember. Then she claimed _mental exhaustion_ and was recommended to visit Dr. Chakwas. Then that's when Neo thought of it as an opportunity.

"The rest of you…dismissed." Shepard ordered and then Joker told Shepard about the Council calling in.

* * *

Neo waited outside the medical bay for fifteen minutes, looking over some data on his omni-pad. Putting in the report about _the krogan and the blood samples he mentioned about_. Neo realized that bit of information was left out of the meeting they had just a while ago, but decided to send the report back to headquarters to see if they pick up on anything similar to the report through Citadel channels.

After Neo sent the report, he figured that Dr. Chakwas was done looking over Liara, so he put his pad away and entered the medical bay.

Neo asked Dr. Chakwas on her condition. The doctor told him where Liara was located and pointed to the room behind the medical bay. Neo entered and saw Liara sitting in front of a desk, looking over her work on a vid screen.

Liara sensed someone was behind her and she turned to see that it was Neo. "Hello agent Neo. How can I help you?"

"Well, remember in the comm room when I told you about tuning into Shepard's dreams?" Neo asked.

"Yes." Liara said plainly. "I heard it was part of a podborn human's ability."

"Well, I want to show you what we saw." Neo activated his Omni-tool and the screen image on her vid screen changed. "Now, what I need for you to do is point out what you see. If you see anything related to your research or some location that you might recognize, please tell me."

"Wait." Liara said. "Is this what Shepard saw in his visions from the beacon?"

"Yes." Neo said as he played the recorded image.

She stared at the screen as the images of the sepia-toned memories unfolded before her. She couldn't make out what the message was saying or implying, but it made her heart skip a beat.

When the images ended, Liara stared into the screen for a moment. Then she turned to Neo. "I don't know what to make of it. Shepard having that image inside his head? He is remarkably strong willed." She suddenly felt a bit of respect for the Commander.

"Well, what about locations?" Neo pressed on. "Did some of those places look familiar?"

Suddenly she felt a bit threatened. Liara wasn't used to this sort of questioning. "Are you, interrogating me?"

"I only need to know what you know." Neo explained. "However, Dr. T'Soni we are short on time."

Liara felt flustered and nervous. She took a breath and she said. "I think I recognize one of those locations. It is…is…"

"Tell me." Neo's eyes widened.

"Ilos." Liara leaned back. "It's Ilos." She turned her eyes away from Neo.

The door to Liara's room hissed open and a familiar voice stormed over the room. "Enough!" Shepard demanded from the intelligence agent. "Stand down, Anderson!"

Neo turned around to see a fuming Shepard staring at him. "Commander."

"What do you think you're doing?" Shepard demanded.

"Showing Dr' T'Soni the prothean image." Neo calmly replied. "We got a break. There's a chance the conduit is on Ilos. How did you know I was in here?"

"Dr. Chakwas told me." Shepard said. "Now what do you mean, Ilos?

"The images I showed her, she identified one planet." Neo typed up the planet on his Omni-tool. "To access the planet, one must enter the Mu mass relay."

"That's the problem." Liara added. "The Mu relay is located in the Terminus system and the exact location of Ilos has been lost. Going through the relay creates a higher chance of getting lost yourself and even if we find Ilos, is the Conduit there?"

"Then we have to find that information, because if Saren finds the location before we do…" Neo just shook his head and didn't want to finish his sentence.

"Now you got your information." Shepard folded his arms. "Now leave the doctor alone." Neo just nods and leave. Shepard looked at Liara. "Are you alright?"

"Yes." Liara said. "Agent Neo didn't hurt me. He just seemed very determined to find the information. It was that…I was not used to being forced to answer a question under pressure."

"Well, he went too far." Shepard said. "He shouldn't force those questions on you after your ordeal. Speaking of that, how are you feeling?"

"I am well, Shepard." Liara said. "I am surprised of your doctor's knowledge of asari." Then she felt safer talking to Shepard while he asked Liara more questions, but on friendlier nature.

* * *

After Shepard chat with Liara, he decides to visit his pilot, Joker. Shepard learned about how he got his name, his flight training, and accidentally revealing that he suffered from a brittle bone disease called Vrolik's Syndrome.

After finding out about his pilot's disease, Shepard said to Joker. "Is that why you don't like podborns that much?"

"Where did you hear that?" Joker thought of a way to deny his accusation while scratching his short beard, realizing Lieutenant Alenko must've told the Commander about their conversation.

"Look, Joker." Shepard folded his arms. "I could see why you have problems with podborns, because if you were raised in the Matrix you wouldn't have your condition. However, I can't have prejudice tearing a rift through my ship, especially now that we have some non-human personnel on board. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Commander." Joker shakes his head. "But some podborns don't make it easy. Like that Neo guy walking around."

"What about him?" Shepard suddenly showed a spark of interest.

"He's nosy." Joker said. "When he talks to you, he can't help but bring up something personal about you or someone you know."

Shepard stood silent for moment. Then he gave Joker an order. "Joker. In fifteen minutes, I want you to tell Neo to come find me. Tell him that I just want to have a 'chat'." Then Shepard walked away.

"What are you going to do, Commander?" Joker asked.

Shepard stopped and turned his head back at Joker. "Going to show you that not all us podborns are bad guys. If you want to see a show, tune in on one of the simulator programs."

* * *

Agent Neo just got the message from Joker. When he found the Commander, he was strapped in his seat. His mind was hooked on to a simulator program, but _which one? _Shepard definitely wanted to talk to Neo, but away from prying ears.

When Neo couldn't find the simulation program Shepard was located, he thought to let it be a surprise. He sat down on one of the empty chairs and activated the slithering cable. "This ought to be interesting." Neo said right before he felt the pinch on the back of his head.

Neo's eyes opened and saw that he was not where he expected to be. He recognized this simulation program. He was inside a Kung-Fu dojo and when he looked down, he was barefoot and wearing a white karate gi attached with a black belt.

"Glad you could make it." Shepard voice came from behind Neo. Neo quickly turned around and saw Commander Shepard. He was wearing a black karate gi while sporting a black belt.

"Joker said you wanted to see me." Neo said narrowing his eyes.

"How about a friendly spar while we, talk?" Shepard smirked.


	14. Chapter 14

_**A/N:** Hey. Thanks for showing your support for this story. I know some of you have been looking foward to a fight between Shepard and Neo. Enjoy._

* * *

**CHAPTER 14**

Joker watched the screen as he was about to see Commander Shepard and Agent Thomas "Neo" Anderson square off in a fighting simulation. He looked excited as it was like watching an old Kung Fu vid.

Joker got on the intercom and made the announcement to the whole ship. "Attention to Normandy crew! If you turn on to channel 83, the Commander and Neo are gonna get into a fight!"

Everyone on the flight deck overheard the announcement and as if on cue, the crew of the Normandy was switching on to the right channel or trying to find a vid screen.

Kaiden and Navigator Pressly dropped their current conversation and rushed to the front of the cockpit to watch the fight with Joker.

Dr. Chakwas was in medical bay when she called for Liara to watch the event with her, as Chakwas turned on her vid screen.

Down in engineering, Chief Engineer Adams turned on the nearest vid screen and he called Tali over to watch.

Wrex pounded his fists together in excitement and he forced his way in front of a gathering crowd in the cargo hold.

Garrus followed suite and crossed his arms together to observe how humans fight on simulation programs.

Ashley smiled at the anticipation of her Commander getting the chance to teach some lessons in respect without the actual physical violence.

There were at least a dozen crew members surrounding the motionless bodies of Shepard and Neo, but the screens hanging over their chairs were displaying the two men in the dojo program. Somebody yelled _100 creds on the Commander!  
_

* * *

Neo just stared at the Commander for what must've been a minute. He couldn't believe that he has been dragged into a fight, although it's in a simulation program and injury is minimal at best. Despite the injury he might receive in the program, it is nearly impossible to feel the physical pain in the real world when it's normally in their mind.

"I take it that this is more than just a simple talk." Neo cracked his neck and did a quick squat.

"What makes you think that?" Shepard stretched his legs out.

"Nothing particular." Neo got into his defensive stance when Shepard got into his. The defensive stances they got into, Neo swung his arms in a circular motion and finished with a stance by having his arms spread out parallel from each other. Shepard outstretched his left leg and leaned back from on his right leg. As he did so, his left arm outstretched while his right arm was pulled into a fist by the waist on his right. They both must've stood ten feet apart from one another as they visually dared one-another to make the first move.

"I like this is better." Shepard said as Neo decided to make the first move.

Neo charged at Shepard with a volley of fists swinging at him. To the trained eye, Neo punched at least fourteen times and Shepard blocked them all. Shepard quickly moved away and narrowed his eyes at Neo.

Neo maintained his disciplined posture when Shepard attacked. Neo blocked all the punches Shepard fired at him…all fifteen times. Shepard and Neo stood back from one another for a few seconds. Neo retaliated by throwing himself at Shepard with a series of kicks. As Shepard was about to counter with a punch, Neo jumped over Shepard, doing a frontal flip. Neo kept his balance and attempted to elbow Shepard in the back of his head.

However, Shepard was too quick for that response and he grabbed Neo's arm and flipped Neo over. Neo then landed on his feet, still being held on by Shepard. He took the opportunity and kneed Shepard in his midsection.

Shepard grunted in pain as he shoved the left palm of his hand into Neo's middle torso. Neo flew back and hit the floor, but as quickly as he fell he got back up. Now both men were maintaining their defenses like before.

Neo came back with a series of kicks, ranging from roundhouse to bell kicks. Shepard took the advantage when he grabbed one of the kicks, a right foot aimed at his midsection. Shepard took Neo's leg and swung him to the side, spinning until he hit the floor. Neo fell close enough to Shepard, so he picked his torso up he performed a type of spin kick move. Neo's foot connected to Shepard's ankle and Shepard fell to the floor.

Both men quickly got up and stood at their stances.

"I like your moves." Neo said while putting up his defensive posture.

"I have to say the same." Shepard commented as he did his own posture. "Now enough for the warm up. Are you ready?"

Neo just smirked as a response and the two men charged at one-another. The attacks became more aggressive as their punches and kicks started to connect to their targets.

* * *

Wrex stared at the action. He yelled. "Kick him in the quad, Shepard!"

Liara was watching the action unfold when she let off a soft smile.

Joker, Kaiden, and Pressly crowded around a single vid screen. Joker shook his head looking at Shepard and Neo exchanging kicks. "My legs are gonna break just looking at that."

"Mine, too." Kaiden replied as he kept his eyes drawn to the fight.

Tali was twiddling her three fingers watching Shepard throw punch and kick at his opponent and Adams caught her doing so through the corner of his eye. He took a quick glance at her and looked back at the screen. He raised his eyebrows as if he knows what the young quarian girl was thinking about her, Commander.

* * *

Neo threw a series of punches at Shepard at what looked like sub-sonic speed. It was so fast that only the hazy image of his moving arms was visible, yet Shepard's blocks were just as fast as he kept avoiding the hits at sub-sonic speeds.

* * *

Garrus unfolded his arms in front of the vid screen. "How is that possible? No one can move _that_ fast!"

"Only in the Matrix, that's possible." One of the crewmen said to the awestricken C-Sec agent.

Ashley scoffed at Garrus's question, but kept her eyes on the two men fighting. She was picturing herself throwing those punches and kicks at the agent. She couldn't help but smile.

* * *

Shepard countered Neo's fast moving punches with a swift kick to the stomach and followed with an uppercut to his chin. Neo flew to the ceiling, an impossible feat to accomplish in the real world. Laws of physics have been suspended in this simulation mode, just like it would be on the Matrix.

Neo fell to the floor, but got up to his knees. Shepard came forward for another attack. As Shepard shoots his fist at Neo, Neo dodges the fist and sweep kick Shepard's legs. Shepard lost his balance as he was falling vertically to the floor, not before Neo got up and raises his right leg in front of him. The leg comes crashing down and buries its heel into Shepard's chest.

Shepard, now with his back on the floor was at the mercy of Neo's furry. Shepard quickly rolls back as Neo continues his attack. Shepard manages to get up and run up the simulated dojo pillar. He springs back into a back flip and lands behind Neo. Unfortunately for Shepard, Neo anticipated his landing by giving Shepard and hard kick to his chest. Shepard flew back and smashed the dojo pillar opposite to where he used to make his back flip.

* * *

Everyone collectively gasped on the ship when Shepard took the hit, especially Liara, Tali, and Ashley.

Ashley saw the horror unfold and she felt a cringe of anger crawling back through her spine. "Come on, Shepard! Don't take that shit!"

* * *

Shepard got back up and brushed off the pain. He got back into his defensive stance as so did Neo. Both the men charged, but Shepard got the upper hand as he kept punching while Neo barely could keep up with his blocks. Then Shepard connected a punch across Neo's nose.

* * *

Joker, Kaiden, and Pressly winced back their heads as if they could feel that punch.

* * *

Neo grabbed Shepard's neck, so Shepard did the same as well. The two spun around in a counter clockwise motion, trying to haphazardly trying to connect a punch or a kick. Then the impossible happened. The two men each brought their legs up and at the same moment, kicked each other in the chest. The two men flew apart as if an explosion flew them on opposite sides of the dojo.

Neo slowly stood up and eyed Shepard. "I have to admit, Commander. You got some skills. Maybe you are agent material after all." Neo said with a smirk.

"Maybe I do." Shepard said. "But I might have different methods to approach an investigation."

"Is something on your mind, Commander?" Neo stood inquisitively.

"Yeah." Shepard said as he approached Neo in a more military combat stance. "I don't like your methods of _getting the job done_. Tuning into my dreams without my permission. Looking into each crewmember's personal file. Questioning Dr. T'Soni while she was under duress. You know you're not the most liked guy on this ship." Shepard threw a couple of punches as Neo dodged them out of the way.

Neo circled around Shepard and putting up his own stance. "Why should I care what your crew thinks of me? Niccolo Machiavelli said _it's better to be feared than loved_ and look at what have been accomplished. We know of the Conduit and we know about Ilos. All we have to do is find Benezia on Noveria and we can connect the dots." Neo swings his arms toward Shepard, but Shepard avoids his fists.

"I would've found that information another way." Shepard circled Neo. "I'm not sure how you do things, but I work with a team. I'm only as good as the team I work with. You seem to prefer working alone." Shepard tosses a few kicks towards Neo.

"Well, you're right about that." Neo didn't stop moving. "I'm trying to adjust to working with a team, let alone with a partner." Neo leaps into the air and attempts to drive a kick into his opponent. Shepard swiftly moves to the side and avoid the attack. "Your methods may include playing the boy scout, but it's not my style."

"Then it's safe to assume that you would rather play the renegade?" Shepard attempts to grab the agent, but Neo avoids Shepard's attempts. "I have to admit. Those quick methods have advantages, but often those same quick methods come at a cost and often at the cost of one's soul."

"At least when I pay the devil his due, I'll be comfortable to know that I kept a colony safe, a child can wake up to a loving mother and father." Neo attempts to grab Shepard and perform a Judo style move, but Shepard avoids his moves. "And that no aliens invade our space. I will be comfortable to know that I did my part to _hold the line_!"

"But what is it about you that make you want to avoid working well with others?" Shepard threw in a couple more punches along with a flat hand chop. "It seems you work hard to keep people away. This has something to do with your own personal history."

Neo just stopped moving. Then he just looked at the Commander. "For your information the last partnership I had worked with didn't end well."

Shepard stopped moving around and he began to question the agent. "Alright. Tell me about it."

Neo hesitated at first and then he shook his head. Then he poured out to the Commander. "It happened two years ago. Just a few days short of the anniversary of when humanity joined the Citadel races."

* * *

**THE CITADEL**

**THE SYSTEMS ALLIANCE EMBASSY**

**JUNE 12, 2181**

Agent Thomas "Neo" Anderson enters the new embassy of the Systems Alliance. The first person he meets is the advisor to the newly appointed ambassador, Dominic Osoba.

"Welcome, agent Anderson...I mean Neo." Osoba said.

"Thank you, advisor Osoba." Neo said shaking Osoba's hand.

"Ambassador Udina is just waiting for you in the next room." Osoba guided him to the next room.

Before Osoba opened the door, Neo quietly said. "Yeah. The former senator Udina. The kind of man who would sell out his own mother for a handjob from Shiara."

Osoba barely could contain the laughter inside him, since it was such a rare opportunity to poke holes at the man who replaced him a year ago. When he regained control of his composure, he opened the door to the Ambassador's office.

Ambassador Udina was making himself busy behind his desk when he peered his head up and saw Neo walk into his office.

"Agent Neo." Udina stood up and extended his hand for a shake. "A pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise, Ambassador." Neo said. "I don't mean to rush to the subject, but why was I told to come here to the Citadel before my objective?"

"I wanted you here, because humanity has a grand opportunity." Udina replied. "The Council wants to see how much humanity can accomplish by helping shape galactic civilization. So far we have had a heavy task of accomplishing ten or twenty years worth of work in less than a year working with the Citadel. But now we can reap the benefits of _our_ nonstop progress."

Neo asked. "What do you mean 'our'? Humanity's work or your work?"

"Realize that I am not your enemy, Agent Neo." Udina said. "What I wanted to tell you that on your current mission, you will have assistance."

"If you are talking about giving me a partner, no thanks." Neo told the Ambassador. "I already got one and she's supposed to come along…"

"That is not what I'm talking about." Udina said. "I mean you will be assisted and you will be reviewed during your mission."

"Are you saying that I'm being recommended as a candidate to be a Spectre?" Neo just gave Udina a puzzled look.

"Yes you are." Udina smiled. "It's about time humans are allowed to participate in Citadel politics. Spectres are reflections of a race's power and influence. I chose you personally, because you have had years of intelligence service experience and I think you have the right mindset for the job."

Neo just rubbed the bridge of his nose. "It's an honor sir, but my loyalty is to the Alliance, not the Citadel."

"Don't shoot this opportunity down so quickly." Udina said. "Just remember that with such a position, you don't just represent the Alliance Intelligence Agency but also humanity." The door hissed open before Neo could respond to Udina. Then Udina introduced to the turian who just came in. "Agent Neo, I want you to meet Spectre agent Saren Arterius."

Neo turned around and got a full view of the turian Spectre. He gazed at his metallic jaw and his solid blue eyes, absent of the slits. He extends a hand in greeting. "Agent Arterius."

"Agent Neo." Saren just replies and turns his head away from Neo.

Neo just lightly scowled and took his hand back.

* * *

"Wait a minute?" Shepard paused Neo. "You knew Saren and you were a candidate for the Spectre program too?"

"Yes." Neo confessed. "That's how Udina knew me when you introduced me back at the embassy."

"That's also how you knew Saren was a Spectre back on Eden Prime." Shepard said. "Why didn't you tell me this before?"

"To tell you would also to admit that I wasn't just sabotaged once, but twice by the same man." Neo said. "It was a _fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me_ situation back on Eden Prime."

"So Saren sabotaged you a second time on Eden Prime." Shepard said. "I'm guessing the mission you were on was the first. What happened on your mission?"

Before Neo could answer, Joker called Shepard. "Hey, Commander? If this fight's over, who's the winner?"

Shepard looked up as he was going to give Joker his answer, but Neo did something he didn't expect him to do. Neo took Shepard's left arm and raised it in the air. "The Commander won, Joker." Neo radioed in to Joker and he could've sworn he heard a cheering crowd in the background.

"Joker?" Shepard said through his end of the radio. "Did you tell everyone on the ship to watch us fight?"

* * *

Joker responds. "What would give you that idea?" Joker then looks sheepishly at Kaiden and Pressly.

* * *

Shepard gave Neo a look of confusion and asked. "Why did you say I was the winner? The match was clearly a draw."

"I don't approve of your boy scout methods, but then again they are your methods and it's working well for you." Neo explained. "I'll just use this as an excuse to apologize to the crew for losing the match to you. Just as long as you don't judge my methods again."

"As long as your methods don't go over the line or practiced without my knowledge, I can agree to that." Shepard shakes Neo's hand. "Now tell me again what happened on your first mission with Saren."


	15. Chapter 15

**CHAPTER 15**

**MOSCOW, RUSSIAN PROVINCE EARTH**

**RED SQUARE**

It must have been at least three thousand Alliance soldiers that had assembled on that old cobblestone floor. The men and women had gathered for one reason and that is the day of graduation from Combat School. Fresh new service men and women are ready to be stationed on places all over Alliance space.

Red Square was the ideal spot for any military parade and often the sight of many past military parades in the past, but this is one reason why the Alliance chose this spot. It was famous for being the military parade grounds of the old Soviet Union's army from the latter half of the 20th century and continues on so after the Soviet Union's collapse up until the start of the Human/Machine war.

Another reason for this area is that it was also the site where negotiations for peace began on these grounds between the old U.N. and the Machines of Zero One while the group Blue Skies mediated the peace.

Unknowing to these fresh new soldiers, the parade isn't just going to be attended by the highest ranking officers in the Alliance military, but Prime Minister Christopher Daniels will also be watching as well from a secured area. He'll be watching the parade himself from an office hidden out of the way, yet the view will allow him to see the marching men and women in Alliance uniform.

The parade start with rows after rows of armed marines and sailors marching in a row of ten, each face turning to the right while the ones anchored on the far right kept their faces forward. The sounds of boots clomping down on the cobblestone floor are synchronized with the sound of the drums beating and the horns guiding along.

Daniels enjoyed privately attending these events, like he was attending a fine classical concert or attending a theatre. It also helped that it was also a great way to bolster propaganda for the Alliance to give confidence for their citizens and inspire fear in potential enemies.

Daniels received an incoming call as one of his assistants answered. The assistant came forward and said. "Mr. Prime Minister? You have a call, he said 'urgent'."

"Who is it from?" Daniels asked.

"It comes from a Mr. Morpheus." The assistant plainly stated.

That name was enough cause to pull Daniels away from the darkened window and typed something on his Omni-tool. "Tell Mr. Morpheus to meet me here at the location I had just sent to him."

"Yes, Mr. Prime Minister." The assistant walks away while Daniels sits on his customized office chair.

He hits his personal number on a button pad and the chair's snake-like wire slithers along the back of his head.

Daniels finds himself sitting in his little area of the Matrix, the Victorian English study. He sits patiently as he waits for the man who urgently needed to see him. Then literally out from thin air, the image of a man materialized.

Agent Morpheus appeared before the Prime Minister, wearing a leather trench coat and reflective shades covering his eyes. He saw the empty seat next to Daniels and proceeds to sit next to the Prime Minister.

"Mr. Prime Minister." Morpheus said. "Thank you for seeing me in such short notice. I did not mean to pull you away from your troop inspection."

Daniels just shook his head and raised his hand as to visually say _nothing is wrong_. Then he asks. "What's the issue that is so important?"

"Sir." Morpheus takes his shades off and looks at Daniels with his own eyes. "I just got word from Agent Neo. He just left the Artemis Tau cluster a while ago. He and Commander Shepard rescued Dr. Liara T'Soni, but that is not what I have to tell you. When they pulled her out of that prothean dig site, they ran into a krogan battlemaster that was leading an army of geth."

"What?" Daniels said. "I figure that krogan mercenaries will fight and lead anyone with the right amount of credits, but I can't imagine one leading geth. How is it possible?"

"I'm getting to that part." Morpheus said. "Now when Shepard mentioned fighting on the moon of Torfan, it turns out this krogan fought that battle too. When the krogan realized that it was Shepard, the krogan grunted in some kind of pain and shot its geth followers. The report shows that it seemed the krogan was under some sort of mind control."

"Under some kind of mind control?" Daniel's shuddered to the thought being under someone else's will.

"It gets worse." Morpheus adds. "When the krogan temporarily broke free of this invisible control, it confessed to giving up some blood for Saren and that it was going to be used to _take over the Citadel_."

Daniels stood up from his chair and rubbed the back his head. He turns around and looks at Morpheus. "That can't go right. You know the Citadel won't take this lightly, especially the salarians. Taking samples of DNA must mean that Saren might have plans for the Genophage, possibly curing it. The krogan aren't ready for the cure yet. Many of them still have their petty feuds with other clans and aren't exactly coming to terms to abandoning old ways to mature with the rest of the galaxy. Most importantly, we're responsible for their actions. If the krogan does something that will upset the Council…the Alliance could get blamed in the end."

"With your permission and authority I could push further to find out more about this." Morpheus said.

Daniels gave it a thought. Then he said. "You have my permission. I want to monitor all channels relating to what you found. Check the channels coming out of Citadel space, especially from the Salarian Union. If the Genophage is involved, you can count that the Special Tasks Group will pick up on that. You are dismissed."

"Yes sir." Morpheus stood up and put his shades back on. As he nears the door, Morpheus stopped and asked. "What about the mind control issue?"

Daniels replied. "Commander Shepard and your agent out on the field seem capable of figuring it out."

Morpheus sighed and walked out of the room.

* * *

**SSV NORMANDY**

**STATUS: 2 HOURS ON ROUTE**

**TO NOVERIA**

Ashley Williams was standing by her post in the cargo hold, looking over her datapad with coffee in hand. She tried to keep her mind focused on the mission, but sometimes _things_ just get in the way.

Neo saw Ashley standing there alone with nobody else around, apart from Garrus and Wrex close by. He thought this would be the perfect time to apologize to her like he had promised Shepard after the fight. He takes a deep breath and walks up to the woman.

"Hello, Chief. There's something I need to tell you." Neo said.

She just leaned back with her arms crossed and gave him a disapproving look. In her sarcastic tone, she responded. "What is it? More dirt on my family?"

"Actually, I wanted to apologize." Neo said. "Can I at least explain myself?"

Ashley gave a moment to think about it, but then she said. "Alright. This ought to be interesting."

Neo pulls up two empty crates and visually guide Ashley to sit down on the one in front of him. "I just want to say sorry for my reaction a while back. When I mentioned your grandfather out of the blue like that, was because you were asking me questions about how my agency worked. I was trying to not go further into the conversation when you brought up The Culper Ring."

"So it is that agency?" Ashley said.

"No, but it's something similar built on the same principle." Neo rubs his chin and had an interesting idea. He looks over at the connector pods then he smiles. "How about we have this talk in private?"

Ashley eyes widen when he realizes that he was referring to the connector pods and he wanted her to go in one.

Ashley's eyes opened and she was shocked to no longer be on the Normandy. She was looking around and it dawned on her that she was sitting down next to a table of what looked like a café. She noticed Neo was sitting across from her and he said. "Now I can say something without someone eavesdropping on me."

"Are we…in the Matrix?" Ashley was surprisingly calm of the situation after the initial shock wore off.

"No." Neo explained. "This is only a simulation program. This is what someone would call…a default image program. So let me first say to you, I'm sorry for the way I reacted."

"Alright, accepted." Ashley said. "Now there was something I really wanted to know. When your fight with Shepard ended, the feed stopped after you declared him the winner. What did you two talk about?"

Neo hesitated, but felt that he could tell her almost anything. "I was telling Shepard about how my candidacy for the Spectre program failed."

"You were picked to be a Spectre?" Ashley raised an eyebrow. "What happened?"

Neo rubbed his eyebrow. "Well, when I was chosen to be a Spectre during a mission…" Neo talked to Ashley about his time with Udina and Saren just as he told Shepard in the dojo simulation. Then Neo started talking to her about the mission. "The planet Lesuss is a lush jungle planet inside asari space with no real sign of civilization. It was also where the asari government decided to add a secret facility. You see the asari have a bit of a sense of self-majesty as a species. They show it in their art, dances, and culture. But whenever someone is not up to their _standards_, they would make a special colony for that group of asari. The planet was already the home of an Ardat-Yakshi monastery."

"Ardat-Yakshi?" Ashley asked. "What is that?"

"Not a whole lot of aliens know about it, but an Ardat-Yakshi is an asari whose mind melding doesn't go normally as planned. They often kill their mate-slash-victim by overloading the senses of their mate-slash-victim. It's a type of asari genetic mutation and the monastery was built for the purpose of keeping the Ardat-Yakshi there."

"It sounds like the asari just wanted a place to dispose of their trash." Ashley smirked. "Now wait a minute. If not many other species knows about it and you do, how do you fit in all this?"

"Yeah." Neo said. "Well, another genetic mutation started running among the asari three years ago. You see when asari breed; they can breed with any other sapient species and when they conceive a child the DNA from the alien is utilized for their offspring to create another asari with acquired abilities. For example, if an asari's father is a krogan that asari would have the superior health and fast rejuvenation the krogan is known to have. When podborn humans started venturing into places like Thessia and Illium, they found a little _companionship_ with the local asari maidens."

Ashley's eyes widen as if she knew what Neo was about to say. "You don't mean they gave birth…no."

"Yes." Neo nods. "It turns out 1 out of every 10 podborn human and asari couplings that resulted a baby…gave birth to a _podborn asari_. All because of the asari's ability to utilize the Matrix strand of DNA from the father."

"My, God." Ashley got a grip on herself. "Again. How do you fit in all this?"

"I'm getting to that." Neo said. "Now panic started among the asari mothers giving birth to these podborn asari, because podborn children cannot survive on their own without being attached to the Matrix. The Alliance was not going to allow aliens into the Matrix and the asari mothers were not planning to give up their children to the will of an A.I. Lesuss was the logical answer, since there was already a monastery to the Ardat-Yakshi why not another one for podborn asari on the same planet. The plan was to run this new monastery similar to how the Matrix on Earth was ran, only it will be run by a staff of asari and V.I. programs. No A.I. Until the monastery was built, the podborn asari had to be cryogenically frozen until the facility was open. Many people from my agency supervised the construction and when the day the monastery was completed, it was my job to bring in the frozen podborn asari."

"That doesn't sound like a high-risk mission." Ashley raised an eyebrow. "I mean it sounds like a simple escorting duty to put the kids somewhere safe."

"Only in a perfect universe." Neo said as he lowers his head. "You see, there were those who wanted those children destroyed. Officially there was a radical group of asari who wanted those kids exterminated, because _they were an abomination to the Goddess_." Neo made quote marks with his fingers. "Allegedly, that group of radicals was actually a rouge group of asari commandos. They didn't want Matrix strands of DNA swimming in the asari gene pool and they will do _anything_ to stop it."

"So what happened?" Ashley asked.

"They found our ship." Neo closes his eyes. "We were on an unlisted asari cargo ship when we were on our way to Lessus. Saren, my partner Trinity, and myself were providing security and tech support. When we arrived outside the Mesana System in the Nimbus Cluster, that's when they got the jump on us. They boarded and tried to kill anyone on board our ship; the crew, us, all was fair game. So we hit back."

* * *

**CLASSIFIED CARGO VESSEL**

**MESANA SYSTEM**

**JUNE 15, 2181**

Neo ran down the passageway as fast as he could. The airlocks were being forced open by some unknown group. _Pirates or slavers? No, too well organized._ Neo would think to himself. When he reached towards the ship's port side airlock on the aft section of the ship, he found the door being welded open.

He quickly pulled out the contents inside the box he was already carrying. The box contained small black discs and he placed two on the sides of the bulkhead connecting to the airlock.

Neo activates his Omni-tool and ducks for cover. When his instincts and intuition told him that the intruders were on board, he pressed a few buttons on his Omni-tool and the bulkhead was nothing but shrapnel and a flash which followed with a loud bang.

When the smoke cleared enough for a view, Neo noticed the bodies on the ground were once asari. _Not just asari, but a commando unit_. He recognized the trademark black uniform which appeared very skintight on their bodies.

"Neo!" A woman's voice radioed in.

"Trinity!" Neo responded. "I think these are asari commandos!"

"I know!" Trinity voice cracked on. "They're coming in on the starboard side next to where you are!"

"I'm on my way!" Neo rushed to the starboard side as fast as he could. When he neared the airlock, he was greeted by an asari commando pointing a rifle at him. In one split second, he ducked for cover while the commando opened fire. He readies his pistol and as he's about to open fire, the sound of a body hitting the floor replaces the sound of rifle fire. He pokes his head out to see what had happened.

The asari commando was face first on the ground, dead. In the asari's place was a human woman clutching a pistol in her hand. The woman wore full bodied clothing that covered her arms to her legs and a color to match the black of her short hair.

"Trinity." Neo walks over to her. "What will I ever do without you?"

Trinity smiles and quickly kisses Neo on the lips. Then she pulls herself away and said. "Come on. Saren is in the cargo hold. He should be holding off those commandos."

The two agents quickly moved down to the cargo hold. When they arrived, Saren was on one of the catwalks, ducking behind a cargo crate. He was using the crate for cover as he was using his sniper rifle to pick off commandos in the cargo bay below.

"Saren!" Neo ducked behind another crate. "What the hell are asari commandos doing here?" He said as he fired off a few rounds.

"I don't know!" Saren told Neo in his surly voice. "I never had the chance to ask them! Now be a little more productive and kill as many as you can!"

Neo wish he could just pull this gun on the Spectre agent for the remark, but _cooler heads prevail_. Neo thought. Then Neo saw an opportunity, a ladder behind him. The ladder was connected to the catwalk and the crates below him will hide his position temporarily when he slides down. "Trinity! Saren! Cover me! I got a plan!"

Neo stayed out of view of potential gunfire and slipped down the ladder. When he got to the cargo floor, he moved swiftly from one crate to another to get behind the three remaining commandos. The first asari commando he came up to was too distracted by Saren and Trinity's gunfire. With a knife in hand, he snuck up to the commando and placed his left hand over her mouth while slitting her neck.

Neo pulled out his pistol and came up behind the two remaining asari. He quickly put a round into the one on his right. When the other asari saw what was happening, she tried to shoot Neo. Unfortunately for her, she wasn't quick enough and she fell to the floor.

Neo checked the bodies to make sure they were dead when he heard Saren saying to him. "Quite impressive. There might be hope for your candidacy after all." Saren stood up and folded his sniper rifle away. "Now get back up here. We have to check the engine room. This ship has to keep moving and make sure the _real_ cargo gets there safe."

"Hey, skullface!" Neo snapped at Saren with an old derogative word from what humans called turians during the First Contact war. "In case you have forgotten, this is an Alliance mission not a Citadel one! You're just here to see if I make grade!"

"Remarks like that will not win you any favors from me, Mr. Anderson." Saren replies.

"I could care less." Neo said. "I've made it no secret that my loyalty to the Alliance comes first. I'm just being Udina's political play toy for the moment. But right now, all I can think about is completing the mission."

"Very well, you made your point." Saren said calmly. "I'll check the engine room to make sure none of those _radicals_ made it in there. If I need assistance, I'll radio in for help." Saren leaves the cargo area.

Neo joins Trinity and they quickly proceed to the forward section of the ship, to see if the piloting crew is still alive.

"Bullshit." Trinity states. "These aren't asari radicals. They're trained commandos. Why would they highjack a ship taking podborn asari far away from asari society?"

"I don't know." Neo said as he approached the forward command deck.

Then Saren called on the radio. "Agent Neo. Agent Trinity."

"What's up?" Neo responded.

"One of you should get down here." Saren said. "One of those radicals left a bomb next to the ship's drive core. I need one of you to help diffuse it."

"I'm coming down." Neo said.

"Wait a minute." Trinity said. "I should do it. I diffused more bombs than anyone in the agency."

"Yeah, but…" Neo said.

"All due respect, but we don't have time to argue." Trinity pointed out.

"Okay, I'll take it as professional concern from my own partner." Neo touches Trinity's shoulder. "Go take care of that bomb."

Neo waited with the remaining crew up on the command center. He waited patiently for the job to be done, but he wanted to know what's going on. As he was about to send a typed message to Trinity, he gets a call from Saren.

"Activate the escape pods!" Saren ordered the crew. "Activate the escape pods! The bomb is going off in one minute!"

Without hesitation, Neo followed the crew to the nearest escape pod. He crawled into a large porthole and found the surviving crew inside. The last one to show up was Saren, but Trinity was nowhere to be seen.

Saren was about to hit the button to close the door, but Neo stopped him. "Stop. We have to wait for Trinity."

"She's dead." Saren said as he shoved Neo's hand away. Then Saren pressed the button as the porthole doors closed and the pods accelerated away from the doomed ship.

"What!" Neo struggled to maintain balance, but looked through the pod's small window as he could see the cargo ship becoming smaller and smaller in the distance. Then the cargo ship emitted a bright flash. The ship was destroyed…along with Trinity inside.

Neo fell to his knees with his hand pressed flat on the window. His head slumped downward and then his mind went numb.

* * *

"Destroyed was the word that day." Neo said in a solemn tone. "Destroyed on that ship was a first generation on podborn asari. Destroyed was my candidacy for the role as a Spectre agent. Destroyed was Trinity. My partner, my friend, my…my…"

"You two were close, weren't you?" Ashley guessed as Neo nods. Ashley did something she never thought of doing since she met this guy. She took his hand and squeezed with both of her hands.

Neo was a caught off guard a bit, but then he pushed on to finish the story. "Then when we had to explain the failure of the mission, Saren said _He and Trinity was trying to diffuse the bomb, but one of those asari radicals survived and shot Trinity in the back. He killed the radical, but Trinity couldn't be saved and the bomb was going off in the last minute before she could diffuse the bomb._" Neo shuddered. "Bullshit. I knew he sabotaged the mission to make me look bad, because of his anti-human agenda. The evidence showed that the bomb signature was of turian origin and there was a signal sent out before the asari commandos showed up coming from a high grade communication gear that only Spectres would have access to."

"Let me guess, it wasn't enough to convict Saren." Ashley said.

"No, but let put it this way." Neo looks Ashley in the face. "We all have a reason to bring Saren down."


	16. Chapter 16

_**A/N:** Sorry for the delay. Been super busy at work this week.  
_

* * *

**CHAPTER 16**

**SSV NORMANDY**

**DOCKING BAY, NOVERIA**

Shepard gathered his team together. He chooses Liara and Ashley to accompany him through the port while everyone else stayed behind on the Normandy. Shore leave was authorized, but Noveria was not known for its warm atmosphere…and the freezing temperature was just as bad. The crew of the Normandy would rather just spend the rest of their free time aboard the ship.

The Normandy was docked on a place called Port Hanshan and Shepard was greeted from a freeborn human female named Gianna Parasini, certainly much warmer than the security detail that greeted him earlier. She was the personal assistant of Administrator Anoleis, a powerful salarian businessman. She said Benezia had passed through here and what gave rise to Shepard was the mention of the cargo she was carrying with her. It sounds exactly what happened on Eden Prime, when Neo described how the geth were transported through crates and unleashed by Saren.

After confronting with Anoleis with this information and also discovering that Benezia had a private army of asari commandos acting as her personal escort, they had to risk the trek to a science facility called Peak 15. To get there one would need a pass to the garage and when Gianna Parasini revealed to Shepard that she was working undercover with Noveria Internal Affairs, she was willing to get the pass for Shepard's group in exchange for help with her ongoing investigation with Anoleis. After Shepard helped Parasini bring down Anoleis, she returned the favor by giving him a pass to the garage.

Shepard, Liara, and Ashley were ambushed by the geth when they entered the garage. The three quickly dispatched the geth and then security showed up when they head the gunfire. After finding out that there's more geth and that they came out of a dozen shipping crates, this made Shepard change his strategy. When he saw a Mako in the garage, he commandeered the vehicle.

When Liara and Ashley got on board the Mako, Shepard had a thought. He remembered Neo talking about putting those old Sentinels on top of the Normandy's Mako and then he was advised by Tali not to use the Sentinels when geth are around.

Shepard looked at the littered geth bodies and radioed in back to the Normandy. "Neo, can you hear me?"

"Yeah, what's up?" Neo asked.

"Remembered when you wanted to use your Sentinels." Shepard asked.

"Yes." Neo said. "As I recall, Tali warned me about taking them out before testing it on geth equipment."

"Well, we ran into some geth in this garage." Shepard said as he kicked one of the dead geth troopers. "If you want, you can come down here and collect some salvage for your project."

"I think I'll do that." Neo responds with a hint of gladness.

"Bring, Tali with you and I'll tell the EPCS guards to let you in." Shepard said as he was climbing into the Mako.

"Don't worry about the guards." Neo responded. "This isn't my first trip to Noveria."

"Fine." Shepard got into the driver's seat of the Mako. "I'll see you when the mission's over." Shepard turned over the engine and the garage door opened.

* * *

Neo turned off his radio and pulls something out from under a desk. As it turns out, the desk belonged to Liara and he was in Liara's room. The device he pulled out was a small listening device and this was one of his opportune times to remove all his spy equipment all over the ship. He didn't want to pull the device out while Liara was in the room, so not to create more suspicion from the asari.

Just to entertain his curiosity, he just played a brief recording from what he recorded earlier. The voice belonged to Liara. She was talking to Shepard about his time on Eden Prime and when he was marked by the prothean beacon. "_That's why I find you so fascinating. You were marked by the beacon on Eden Prime; you were touched by working prothean technology._"

Neo just stopped and chucked to himself. "Translation: _Oh, Shepard. So far my life was boring and meaningless, until I met you. Now, I want to feel your Prothean Beacon inside me._ For a socially clueless and naïve girl, you seem to know what to say to a guy, Doctor."

"I'll be sure to tell Dr. T'Soni that." Garrus said standing at the door, crossing his arms while chuckling himself.

Neo leapt to see the C-Sec agent eavesdropping on him. "What are you doing here and how long have you been standing there?"

"I was standing here long enough and I'm just doing a favor for Shepard." Garrus explained.

"What's that?" Neo eyes narrowed.

"Just making sure you kept your promises, like removing those listening devices." Garrus commented.

"I hope to keep that comment I made just between us, Mr. Vakarian?" Neo said.

"Aw, you're no fun." Garrus responded. "I was hoping this would start another fight between you and the Commander."

"Well, before you bet your lifesavings away I have to go see about some geth parts." Neo told Garrus. "If you're heading back down to the cargo hold can you tell Tali to meet me at the airlock."

"Sure." Garrus said as he walks away.

* * *

Neo and Tali was about to enter the garage where Shepard said they had just destroyed the geth units trying to stop Shepard, Liara, and Ashley. Neo's credentials as an intelligence agent was credible enough to enter through customs and enter this closed off area of Port Hanshan.

When they walked up to the garage entrance, Neo and Tali were stopped by an EPCS guard standing in front of the doorway. Neo showed the guard his credentials. "I'm agent Neo of Alliance Intelligence and this is my tech specialist Tali' Zorah assisting me. We have permission to access this garage." The guard nodded and allowed the two through the door.

Neo and Tali walked around the garage like they were police officers at the scene at the crime; looking for clues and piecing a puzzle together.

"Hell of a way to earn your pilgrimage, Miss Zorah." Neo said.

"That is true, but I need something more than just bringing back a ship, food, or fuel." Tali said. "Bringing back geth material would benefit the fleet in learning how the geth have developed since they have driven us from our homeworld." Tali began checking the first geth unit she found on the floor. "These geth aren't going to be enough, but if they are enough for what you said about using your old Earth geth units called Sentinels to do work for us." She kicks the head of the geth unit she was checking out. "It will be a pleasure to help you."

"That it will be." Neo said.

"Besides, Shepard told you what I need to bring back to the Flotilla." Tali said.

"He did and just before he told me about these geth in the garage, he told me to bring you along." Neo said. "Your Commander seems to care for you."

"Yes." Tali said looking down in a defeated manner.

"Are you alright?" Neo asked.

"Yes, I'm fine." Tali looked at another geth unit.

"You know you can't lie to me." Neo said. "I can read body language as well as I can read."

"That's enough, already." Tali snapped turning her head at Neo. "I thought Shepard told you to stop looking into your shipmates."

"What's the problem?" Neo said. "Maybe I'm just trying to get to know my shipmates. It sounds to me that you are more defensive about this subject than just my professional brand of questioning. Just tell me, like a friend. What's wrong?"

"It's nothing that I could tell you or anyone else." Tali said. "I have duties and responsibilities. I can't just… I have to think of others first."

"What's going on?" Neo said. "Come on tell me. I promise that whatever you say will not leave this garage."

"You promise?" Tali asked.

"Yes, Tali." Neo lifted his right hand lifting only his first two fingers. "I swear that what you tell me won't leave this garage."

"No recording devices, either." Tali said.

"Aw, you're no fun." Neo joked, remembering the comment Garrus just told him in Liara's room. Then Tali made the body image signaling a sign of disgust. "Just kidding. Yes, no recording devices."

"Very well, then you must already know about the situation between Liara T'Soni and Ashley Williams." Tali said. "It's making me sick to see those two just throw each other at Shepard like two dancers at a club trying to win the attention of a high paying customer."

"So you have a thing for the Commander, too?" Neo said.

"You have to ask?" Tali said. "I mean… No. I'm on my pilgrimage. I cannot get into a relationship with anyone until I have proven myself to the fleet. If I were to get involved with anyone now, especially the Commander…I. It would never work out."

"I see." Neo plainly asked the quarian girl. "I didn't mean to be nosy."

"Don't be." Tali said. "I understand why you have to do the things you do, but emotionally you are nothing but a _bosh'tet_!" She pointed her finger at Neo.

"I'm honored." Neo smiled. "I've been called so many curse words in almost every dictionary from every other species in the galaxy. But never have I been called, that." Neo just talked to her for a while and then they began working on trying to gather enough geth data to help make the Sentinels work without geth corruption.

* * *

Shepard, Liara, and Ashley pushed through an army of security guards, geth, and now to their shock…rachni. Rachni, a race that was supposed to be driven to extinction by the krogan. The rachni were thought to have been exterminated, until an old derelict rachini ship was discovered containing a rachni egg which happens to be a queen. For why this lab would take such a risk learning of a species that almost destroyed all life on a galactic scale.

The three walked into what was called the hot lab. It was the only place left that Benezia could be and surely enough, she was there.

Benezia was standing over multiple control panels and in front of her was a large glass box containing some…_creature_. It didn't look like the other previous creatures they had seen earlier in the labs, but this one was slightly larger than the rest. _Is this the rachni queen?_ Shepard thought.

Before Shepard could examine the box a little further, Benezia spoke out to the three as if she was making a speech. "You do not know the privilege of being a mother. There is power in creation. To shape a life. Turn it towards happiness or despair. Her children were to be ours. Raised to hunt and slay Saren's enemies." She turned towards Shepard and he was able to see what she looked like. Benezia was wearing a black dress that covered her arms and her legs. She wore a head piece that covered the tendrils on her head and face. Her only blue skin exposed was around her eyes, her mouth, and the rather large bust of her chest. She looked at Shepard and then looked at Liara. "I won't be moved by sympathy. No matter who you bring into this confrontation."

Shepard countered Benezia's remark. "Liara's here because she wants to be. Not because I asked her to."

Benezia's face remained solid as she said to Shepard. "Indeed? What have you told him about me, Liara?"

Liara looked at her mother. "What could I say, mother? That you're insane? Evil? Should I explain how to kill you? What could I say?"

Benezia didn't respond to her daughter's words. She just looked back at Shepard. "Have you faced an asari commando unit before? Few humans have…especially a podborn."

"I can't believe you'd kill your own daughter." Shepard protests ran hollow to the asari matriarch determined to kill him, her daughter, and Ashley.

"I now realize that I should have been stricter with her." Benezia summoned the blue shimmering light of her biotics and was frozen in place.

When Liara tried to make a counter biotic to free Shepard of Benezia's grasp, One of the doors hissed open. Armed asari came charging out of their rooms with their rifles drawn. They seemed eager to get into a fight.

Shepard was freed from the biotic containment field and drew out his rifle. He and his friends were fending off a couple of asari at the other end of a catwalk, hiding behind two large boxes. Realizing that the two were pinned down pretty well, Shepard drew out his grenade, throwing it using a sidearm throw. The grenade was a flying disc which hovered when it zipped past the two asari commandos. Shepard hit a button and the disc exploded behind the commandos, shrapnel ripping through their bodies.

As Shepard was about to finish off the remaining commandos, Benezia opened another set of doors. Behind those doors contained geth soldiers, now trying to kill him and his friends. However, Shepard took out the geth without any trouble and now only Benezia was left to deal with.

Benezia was squatting from the exhaustion of using her powerful bursts of biotics. "This is not over. Saren is unstoppable. My mind is filled with his light. Everything is clear." She was now speaking as if she was programmed to say those things, like she was a member of some cult.

"The rachni didn't cooperate with you." Shepard said. "Why should I?"

"I will not betray him." Benezia's voice became strained. Then she looked over at Shepard. "You will. You…" She slumps over the control panel and shakes her head. She turns around and she seemed to be a different person. "You must listen. Saren still whispers in my mind. I can fight his compulsions. Briefly. But the _indoctrination_ is strong."

Shepard paused for a moment and he asked. "Why are you able to break free of his control now?"

"I sealed a part of my mind away from the indoctrination." Benezia's voice seemed more genuine when making her explanation. "Saving it for a moment when I could help destroy him. It will not last long."

"So you could turn on me again." Shepard said as he readied his pistol.

Benezia answered honestly. "Yes, but it will not be my will, Shepard. People are not themselves around Saren. You come to idolize him. Worship him. You would do anything for him. The key is Sovereign, his flagship. It is a dreadnaught of incredible size and its power is extraordinary."

"Sovereign's not like other ships." Shepard said. "Where did it come from?"

"I cannot say." Benezia confessed. "The geth did not build it. Its technology is far more advanced than that of any known species. The longer you stay aboard, the more Saren's will seems correct. You sit at his feet and smile as his words pour into you. It is subtle at first. I thought I was strong enough to resist. Instead, I became a willing tool, eager to serve. He sent me here to find the location of the Mu Relay. Its position was lost thousands of years ago."

Losing a mass relay? It sound preposterous, but Shepard had to ask. "How does something that big go missing?"

Benezia explained. "Four thousand years ago, a star went supernova. The shockwave propelled the relay out of its system, but did not damage it. Its precise vector and speed was impossible to determine. As millennia passed, the nebula created by the nova enveloped the relay. It is difficult to find any cold object in interstellar space. Particularly something swathed in hot dust and radiation."

Shepard came to another realization. "Someone on Noveria found it?"

"Two thousand years ago, the rachni inhabited that region of our galaxy." Benezia said. "They discovered the relay. The rachni can share the memories across generations. Queens inherit the knowledge of their mothers. I took the location of the relay from the queen's mind. I was not gentle."

"You can still make it right." Shepard said. "Give me the information."

"I was not myself, but…" Benezia paused for a second. "I should have been stronger." She pulls out a small memory clip and hands it to Shepard. "I transcribed the data to an OSD. Take it, please."

Shepard realized that this was the coordinates to the Mu Relay and then it had dawned to him that he also knows the location of the Conduit on Ilos. He has exactly what he wants, but he decides not to reveal what he knows.

"You have to stop…me." Benezia began to feel week again. "I can't. His teeth are at my ear. Fingers on my spine. You should…you should." Benezia felt weakened and walked away, back to the control panel.

"Mother." Liara stepped up. "Don't leave. Fight him!"

Benezia turned her head to have one more look at her daughter. "You've always made me proud, Liara." If Liara had known, Benezia was taking one last look at her daughter. Benezia turned back and lowered her head. She turned her body to face Shepard, Liara, and Ashley with narrowed eyes. "Die!" She said with euphoric malice as her body was consumed with the blue aura of her biotics.

Liara put up a biotic guard for Shepard and Ashley, while the two opened fire on the indoctrinated matriarch. She kept unleashing attack after attack against the trio, but her biotic shielding was dissolved from the constant volley of bullets that tore through her kinetic shielding. When the kinetic shielding dissolved, Benezia took two bullets to her stomach. She fell back while clutching her wound.

Benezia, in her weaken state, lifted herself up and looked at Shepard. "I cannot go on. You will have to stop him, Shepard."

"Hold on." Shepard told her. "We've go medi-gel, maybe we can…"

"No, he is still in my mind." Benezia proclaimed. "I am not entirely myself. I will never be again." She said as she slumps back to the wall.

"Mother." Liara called to her.

"Good night. Little wing." Benezia's voice began to wan as she sunk lower to the floor. "I will see you again with the dawn." Benezia's rear slid and hit the floor. "No light? They always said there would be…" Then she went silent.

Liara walked over to her mother's body and placed her hand over her head while tears formed around her eyes. Shepard turned away and walked up to the glass box, containing the rachni queen. He looked at the insect type creature with morbid fascination since it looked like a massive cross between a termite and a crab.

Little to Shepard's knowledge, the body of one of the dead asari commandos was moving and stumbling towards the glass box. He jumped back when the rachni propped its five-pronged suction mouth on the faceplate and then he bumped into the walking dead asari.

The walking dead asari turned around and faced Shepard. The asari commando began opened her eyes with an earie glow and a voice with a hollow sound, conducted by the rachni. "This one. Serves as our voice. We cannot sing. Not in these low spaces. Your musics are colorless."

"Musics?" Shepard was confused. "What?"

"Your way of communicating is strange." The asari corpse said. "Flat, it does not color the air. When we speak, one moves all. We are the mother. We sing for those left behind. The children you thought silenced. We are rachni."

Shepard walked up to the glass and stared at the rachni queen, realizing that he was having a conversation with a being that had thought to have been extinct for thousands of years. He takes a deep breath and realizes that he is about to make a decision in a few minutes that could determine the fate of this galaxy.

* * *

Neo returned to the cargo bay and accompanying him was Tali. They each carried a box containing geth parts and electronics. They carefully placed the boxes next to the crate containing the Sentinels, when Neo's Omni-tool flickered on. It was a message alert from Commander Shepard.

"What do we got here?" Neo browsed through what was sent. "Shepard's mission is done. It says here…Lady Benezia is dead." He kept reading. "…under indoctrination? What the?"

"What is it?" Tali asked.

"A derelict rachni ship was found floating through space." Neo told Tali as he kept reading along the lines. "An egg that contained a rachni queen."

"Rachni?" Tali couldn't believe what she just heard.

"Oh my, God." Neo continued reading. "Shepard, you damn boy scout. You'll kill us all."

"What?" Tali asked.

"He let the rachni queen loose." Neo raised his head and stared at Tali. "I guess we have something to discuss with the Commander in debriefing."


	17. Chapter 17

**CHAPTER 17**

Shepard gathered all members of his ground team for a debriefing from their actions on Noveria. Shepard looked around. He waited until Neo, Kaiden, Ashley, Tali, Wrex, Garrus, and Liara took their seats and then he began to speak.

Before Shepard could say a word, Ashley asked the first question. "What's our next move commander? Head for the Mu Relay?"

Shepard brushed Ashley's impatience aside. "The Mu Relay could link to dozens of systems. Unless we know exactly where Saren's going, we'd just be wasting our time."

"We do know where to go, Shepard." Neo added. "A lost planet called Ilos."

"The commander is right." Liara defended Shepard. "We cannot rush off to find Ilos. We still need to learn about Saren."

"Who put you in charge?" Ashley said to Liara venomously. "Did the commander resign when I wasn't looking?"

"We're all on the same team, Williams." Shepard defended Liara. "She's just trying to help."

"Shepard's right and I'm sure that Shepard's always right." Neo looked at Liara speaking through a sarcastic tone. "I'm sure he was right when he let the rachni queen go."

Silence fell on the room. For a few seconds, the sound of a pin drop could be heard.

"Are you crazy, Shepard?" Wrex asked. "Shepard. These rachni killed millions of krogan before we wiped them out."

"This one was different." Shepard said.

"Different?" Neo stood up. "Different doesn't help that this is the same sentinel being that almost wiped out the galaxy about four thousand years ago. What makes you think it won't attack when this species grow in sufficient numbers again?"

"This rachni isn't like that, it promised me?" Shepard said.

"Are you listening to yourself, Commander?" Neo protested. "You're going by the promise of an insect, a hyper-intelligent one that could be playing you for a fool."

"That's enough, Agent Neo." Shepard brushed hand in the air. "You're starting to sound like the Council, not to mention that I'm about to relay a report to them in a few minutes. It's no doubt that I'm going get the third degree from them as well. Besides, we have bigger issues to deal with right now." Shepard rubs his eyes and takes a deep breath. "Look, this was a tough mission and we're all on edge. Everyone get some rest. Dismissed."

Neo didn't know what he was angrier about, Shepard letting the rachni go or that he's avoiding the important question he was just asked about the rachni queen. He wanted to ask Shepard in private, but now wasn't the time since the Council wanted an audience with Shepard.

Neo was following behind Liara and Ashley, and then he noticed it. Ashley brushed past Liara rather aggressively as if she was trying to egg on the asari doctor. Neo decided to duck out of the scenes for a second and witness what was about to happen. The words _catfight_ ran across his mind. Instead of indulging on his adolescent fantasy and finding out who was going to win this fight, Neo decided it would be best to go down to the cargo hold and work on the Sentinels.

* * *

"Was that really necessary, Chief?" Liara calmly asked Ashely.

"Maybe?" Ashley just calmly replies.

"I sense some hostility in your voice?" Liara said. "Is there anything I should know?"

"You know damn well what it is." Ashley snapped back. "I see the way you look at our commander, with those come-hither eyes."

Liara reacted calmly. "And I suppose when your eyes are not angry with the sights of me, you're looking at the commander with those _'come-hither'_ eyes as well?" Ashley eyes narrowed and she just wanted to slug the asari for that remark, but Liara made a quick suggestion. "Perhaps we can let the commander settle this once he is done with the Council."

Ashley looks at the door to the com room and the _Do Not Enter _light turned off. "It looks like he's done. After you."

The two walked into the com room and the two noticed Shepard powering off the com link and he turned around, only to be unexpectedly greeted by Ashley and Liara. Shepard was curious what the deal was, but then it occurred to him that he had been friendly towards Liara and Ashley on equal terms. It was coming back to bite him in the ass.

"Miss Williams, Commander. We need to talk." Liara said. "If we do not resolve the situation now, I'm afraid thing might become…awkward."

"Oh, awkward, huh?" Ashley spouted with a little venom in her voice.

"I hope we can keep this civilized." Liara said. "I do not want things to become…unpleasant."

"Because it's been so pleasant between us lately." Ashley looked at Liara. "Somebody in this room needs to make a choice. It ain't me and it ain't you."

Shepard now had to play police officer and settle this potential domestic disturbance. "Maybe we should try to work this out."

"I think we must." Liara told Shepard. "I may not know much about human relationships, but I understand the concept of jealousy."

"Jealous?" Ashley said to Liara. "Of you? You're not even our species!"

"Perhaps that is why you feel threatened." Liara looks back at Ashley. "I am a rival unlike any you have faced before. Hostility is a common reaction to the unfamiliar."

Ashley scowled. "Doctor, you keep smart-assing me, I'll show you what my hostile reaction is like."

"Both of you settle down." Shepard jumped in. "We can handle this like mature adults."

"This is stupid." Ashley just contradicted Shepard's request by sounding like a thirteen year old at that moment, and then she made a strategy with her next comment. "We're not married, Shepard. You want to get involved with some alien, go ahead. Given the fact that you're a podborn, you're the one making that risk by being with T'Soni, but it's none of my business."

"What are you saying, Miss Williams?" Liara asked.

"Ash, what are you doing?" Shepard asked as well.

Ashley looked at Liara. "You didn't know? Do you know what happens when you pair a podborn human with an asari?"

"I have heard of some things." Liara tried to look innocent from that statement, but she gives the hint that she knows more than she lets on.

"Ash, I know where you're taking this and I ordering you to stop." Shepard spoke out.

"Look, I'm only trying to throw in the facts before you make this decision." Ashley said looking at Shepard.

Shepard looked at Ashely. "I know what you're doing and I want you to stop it. Neo told me about podborn asari and you're using that to fuel your argument. That's a hit below the belt." Then for a quiet moment, Shepard just crossed his arms. "You know what? You told me to make a choice and you've made my choice much easier, Ash. Liara is the one I care about."

Ashley's heart took a nose dive and had the look of defeat in her eyes, but then she responded calmly. "Hey. We're all grown-ups here, right? I hope you two will be happy together. If you don't mind, I have gear to clean." Ashley walked out of the com room, thinking to herself. _Will the Matrix take in your future podborn asari baby?  
_

* * *

Neo and Tali were separating the geth parts, getting ready to compile enough data so the Sentinels will be able to put up a software defense against potential geth computer viruses.

As Neo was working on the programming for the Sentinels and Tali was working with the geth units, Ashley came storming through the cargo hold. Her facial expression told that she was upset and wanted nothing to do with anyone at that moment. She just marched over to her station and started working on stripping and cleaning a rifle she had been working on previously.

_I guess the commander chosen Dr. T'Soni_. Neo thought to himself and turned his attention to the computer terminal in front of him. He glances at some of the data and then looks at Tali, sitting on the floor with her legs crossed and piecing parts from a geth unit. "Now I'm _really_ glad you convinced me to not take these Sentinels out before comparing them to other geth units, Tali."

"Did you find something interesting?" Tali asked.

Neo nods his head. "Yes I did. I found some useful data that can be used against the geth for things like infiltration tactics or stealth missions. I can trick geth units thinking that this Sentinel is invisible or even think that it's a fellow geth."

Tali added to Neo's plan. "We could use these Sentinels to sneak on geth ships and gather interesting data such as ship designs, space platforms, troop movement, and weapon research."

"I don't think it could infiltrate a ship…at least not until we gather more geth data." Neo gave Tali a toothy grin. "I also happen to know where large concentrations of geth units are stationed, possibly about to launch an invasion of the Traverse." Neo checked his Omni-tool and set the coordinates. "There have been numerous geth units stationed around the Armstrong cluster and it seems like an ideal spot to test out the new upgrades. If I can talk Shepard into going that way we can see what these new Sentinels can do. What do you say?"

"I'd say let's go." Tali's voice perked higher than usual. "Let's get the rest of these Sentinels ready and show them to Shepard when they are done."

"Alright then." Neo looks over at Ashley, who is furiously ramming a cleaning rod down the rifle's barrel. _Maybe she was fantasizing about stabbing something…or someone?_ Neo thought to himself. Then he wanted to see if he could brighten up her mood a bit, but coming up to a trained soldier who just got shot down by a potential love interest could be dangerous. However, Neo was used to danger. Then he looks back at Tali. "Hey, Tali? The downloading is in process. Can you interface the program to each Sentinel until I get back?"

"Where are you going?" Tali asked.

"I'm going to try and cheer up the Chief." Neo quietly told Tali as he slowly steps over to Ashley's work section. Neo slowly creeps up towards Ashley while her back is turned. Neo was about to make his presence known, because sneaking up on a trained soldier is often a quick way for a situation to get ugly.

"I know you're there." Ashley told Neo as she was checking the rifle's hammer. "If you want to ask me anything, don't. I'm not in the mood right now."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Miss Williams." Neo just stood in place. "I just wanted to know how you were holding up." Ashley didn't respond as she just kept at working on her rifle. "Alright, then. Oh, by the way I wanted to give you something."

"What could you possibly give me?" Ashley said angrily.

"I got you something after our chat in the café program." Neo reaches for her omnipad, which is located on her counter. "I have some reading material and I got something for you that you might enjoy. I mean, if you don't like it at least it's the thought that count. Right?" Ashley kept her head forward and she just kept focus on the project in front of her. She could hear the sound of an Omni-tool powering on and the keys being typed into the omnipad. "I know this isn't the best time to give you anything, but maybe this might cheer you up a bit." Neo places the omnipad back on the counter and walks back to his project with Tali.

When Ashley put the final touches on her reassembled rifle, she slightly turns her head to the side and picks up the omni-pad. She looks at the screen and her eyes lit up when the cover reads _Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman_. She turned her head to look at Neo, who is returning to his work. She turned her head back to the screen and felt a tingle of warmth flow through her body as if somebody gave her a warm blanket on a cold winter's night. She looks at her pad and begins to read page after page of the book of poems.

* * *

**ARMSTRONG NEBULA**

**ORBIT OF ANTIBAAR**

**SSV NORMANDY**

The Armstrong Nebula was made of four known systems called Gagarin, Tereshkova, Hong, and Vamshi. Admiral Hackett reminded Shepard of the large geth activity in the four systems and he agreed to check it out.

When the Normandy arrived at the nebula; Shepard, Neo, and Tali discussed over which system they were going to examine first. After some deliberation they agreed to hit the Tereshkova system on a frozen planet called Antibaar.

The geth stronghold was located in the center of a mountainous crater. It was the ideal place for a fortress, because of its natural rocky barrier. It also made it incredibly difficult to climb the rocks to make an effective strike on the outpost weather it is on foot or in the Mako. The APU wasn't going to work either, because the only way to the outpost was a narrow path that would only make the APU a slow moving target.

Shepard and Neo checked out the crate attached to the rear of the Mako while Tali entered the vehicle. Shepard looked at Neo with some slight concern. "Are you sure this is going to work?"

"I certainly hope so." Neo said.

"What do you plan to do if these Sentinels won't listen to you or even attack us?" Shepard asked.

"I have a back-up plan for that." Neo said. "I've rigged each Sentinel with a powerful explosive charge that if it turns on any organic, the blast will destroy any trace of the Sentinel so no corrupting data can be left behind."

Shepard takes a deep breath and enters the Mako. "Let's get going."

"Right behind you, Commander." Neo said.

* * *

The Normandy skims along the sky as the cargo bay doors open. The Mako leaps out of the door and makes a crash landing on the surface. When touchdown was achieved, the Mako sped towards the rocky fortress with no damage to the Mako, whatsoever.

The Mako arrived at the base of the mountain and Neo activated all six Sentinels.

The Sentinels flew out of the crate and glided around the Mako for a few seconds, then the Sentinels used their metallic tendrils to climb the mountain.

When the Sentinels reached the top, they were in full view of a geth outpost. Then the Sentinels glided down the mountain to get closer to the outpost and so far the geth haven't acknowledged the Sentinel's presence. The Sentinels first target was the four tower outposts, so four of the Sentinels snuck carefully towards the towers and climbed to the top.

* * *

One geth unit was watching the compound carrying a sniper rifle, watching for any intruders. Then the geth unit felt something out of the ordinary and turned around to see what was behind itself. Before the geth unit could react, there was a black oval shaped pod with multiple red eyes and tendrils staring directly at the geth unit. The oval shaped pod unleashed a red beam of light through the geth unit's main sensor. The geth unit's head exploded collapsed on the spot.

* * *

After the geth on the towers were taken care of, the Sentinels next target was the geth on the ground which made up of twelve hunters and six colossus models. Each Sentinel flew quickly and grabbed a geth hunter and with sub-sonic speeds, the Sentinels spun in a counter clockwise motion building enough momentum to throw their helpless geth hunter at another geth hunter. The Sentinels have quickly dispatched the geth hunters and all that was left was the six remaining colossus units.

The colossus units were quick to learn that there are non-geth units in the compound and they attempted to destroy the flying octopus-like machines, but they were too quick to lock on targets.

The Sentinels each picked a colossus unit and latched on to their backs. Then on a synchronized fashion, the Sentinels drilled through the backside of each colossus. The colossus units lost their function to walk and then the Sentinels pulled out wires from their bodies to have their wires slithered into the colossus' memory cores.

When the colossus units stopped moving, they collapsed and only the Sentinels were standing, so to say.

* * *

Shepard, Neo, and Tali were inside the Mako, reading the data sent from each of the Sentinels and they were just taken in by the results. The Sentinels have successfully taken out the geth outpost and gathered valuable information on the geth.

"That's amazing." Tali said. "Those Sentinels have downloaded a goldmine worth of information from the geth. It's all encrypted, but this is more information anyone collected from the geth in over three hundred years."

"Yes." Shepard said. "All thanks to your tech skills and knowledge of the geth, Tali." Shepard then looks at Neo. "And thanks to you, Neo for bringing those Sentinels and made them effective against the geth." Shepard glances at the downloaded information. "But, we're not done yet. We still have to clear out this nebula. I have a feeling that we're going to need those Sentinels again."


	18. Chapter 18

**CHAPTER 18**

**ARMSTRONG NEBULA**

**GAGARIN SYSTEM**

**SURFACE OF RAYINGRI**

Rayingri is a small, barren terrestrial world. While it possesses a reasonably temperate climate and number of useful resources, no mining corporation is willing to risk investment. The reason was a rouge planetoid wandered into Rayingri's orbit and causing havoc to the planet's plate tectonics, creating a series of earthquakes and unusually powerful winds.

The reason why the geth would be on Rayingri was beyond the group's comprehension, but the geth were there regardless and they were next on Shepard's target of listed planets.

The Mako; carrying Shepard, Neo, and Tali found the geth base. The base was located on top of a plateau, where they got the information from the help from the Sentinels. What they didn't see was a single geth unit anywhere on that base and the base would appear to be deserted. What was more alarming was the grounds were littered with empty crates and Dragon's Teeth, the name given to the same spikes that were found on Eden Prime which turned humans into husks.

After the Dragon's Teeth were identified, Neo ordered the Sentinels to move to a safer location at the moment as the trio got out of the Mako and observed the base a little closer. When they looked closely at the empty crates and read the manifests, they realized that this wasn't a geth base.

"This was a research outpost." Shepard said to the group. "They must've been studying the planet when they were attacked by the geth."

"Right." Neo looked at one of the spikes. "But where are the bodies?"

"I think this is one here?" Tali pointed to a few littered limbs next to a spike. "I was told that when you put a podborn human on one of these things, the body explodes unlike a freeborn human."

Neo looked at the scattered limbs. "Yeah. There must be about fifteen spikes here and counting the limbs there must've been…" Neo counted the legs and arms on the ground. "Three podborn and so there must've been about twelve freeborn in this facility."

Shepard looks at the facility's entrance. "Let's go in and be ready for anything."

When they entered the science facility, they were greeted by the unnatural moaning that belonged to the small army of husks running towards the trio. When the husks were taken care of, they were greeted by four geth troopers following behind the husks. The firefight was dangerous, but the geth were quickly disposed of.

Shepard, Neo, and Tali left the base and headed for the Mako when they realized that they were greeted by a geth ship looming over the science facility.

"Oh, shit!" Shepard ran for cover as did Neo and Tali. "Get to cover, now!"

Shepard hid behind a crate as did Neo and Tali found their own crate to hide behind. Then the geth ship dropped a dozen geth troopers on the facility grounds. Each geth unit unfolded themselves and proceeded to attack the squad.

Shepard peeked around the side of the crate and blasted away two geth units coming at him, but not before the geth pulse rifles disintegrated his kinetic shielding. So as Shepard ducked for his shielding to recover, he pulls out a grenade and tosses it towards another geth trooper. The disc shaped grenade latched on to the geth's breastplate and an explosion follows. The geth trooper was nothing more than scrapped parts.

Tali just waited behind her crate, because two geth were coming at her from both sides. She just inched over to the closest geth to her and waited for it to poke its head around. When the geth unit pointed its flashlight head around the corner, she points her shotgun at the geth's lens and empties a blast into the geth's head. Then she pulls out a grenade, plants it next to her, and ducks behind one of the spikes. Two geth troopers find Tali and point their rifles at her, but before they could pull the trigger the grenade explodes and the shrapnel disables the geth troopers permanently.

Neo took his chances from the security of the crates and chose to go after the geth units without taking a defensive stance, yet taking an offensive stance instead. He caught three geth troopers hugging along the wall of the science facility. He pulls out his assault rifle and opens fire. The first geth trooper goes down, but the two remaining geth fire their rifles on the agent. Neo hides behind a spike and dives to the ground, shooting at the legs of the two geth troopers. The geth fell and Neo finished them off as the geth troopers struggle to get back up.

The three remaining geth troopers were not a problem to remove, but the problem of the geth ship hovering above them was still present. The only logical action to take was to escape into the Mako and try to outrun the ship while firing the main cannon at the pursuing ship. Calling down the Normandy was out of the question, because of the communications jamming the geth ship was blanketing over the area.

Before Shepard, Neo, and Tali made a run for the Mako, the sound of clicking was heard from the distance. It was the Sentinels, they came back for the squad. Neo looked at the six machines floating around them and felt relieved that they were here.

The Sentinels did something that Neo didn't expect them to do. The Sentinels flew up towards the geth ship and clung on to the sides of the hull. One of the Sentinels unleashed its laser beam on the door of the geth ship to cut through its entrance. When the door flew open, all six Sentinels crawled into the geth ship.

Shepard, Neo, and Tali just stood next to the Mako and watched the action in progress, curiosity and anticipation of what the Sentinels were about to do kept them on edge. After waiting a few minutes the geth ship flew away, but not before all the Sentinels exited the ship.

Shepard, Neo, and Tali watched the geth ship fly away, but not into space. The ship was descending rapidly and before the ship could crash into a mountain, the geth ship exploded.

The Sentinels just flew over the Mako for a few moments, then perched back into their spots on top of the Mako. The squad quickly jumped back into the Mako and each member wanted to know what had just happened when those Sentinels were inside the geth ship.

Tali just leaped in excitement when she read the schematics from the Sentinels. "Keelah! Those Sentinels just came across information on the geth!"

"What kind of information?" Shepard asked.

Tali looked carefully and her eyes widened with excitement. "Uh, basically…everything."

"What?" Neo couldn't believe what he was hearing as he was looking at his Omni-tool. "The Sentinels have taken a copy of the geth schematics on all their ships, their weapons, even their chain of command."

"Let's return to the Normandy and find out what our friends found out." Shepard ordered.

* * *

**SSV: NORMANDY**

**STATUS: ON ROUTE TO FEROS**

The Armstrong Nebula was now free from geth activity. The geth strike force that resided there was disabled. Shepard stood over a table, while in the com room. On the other side of the table was Tali on his left and Neo on his right. Nobody else was in that room except them and for practical reasons. Lying on the table were three separate information units.

Shepard was making this moment quasi-formal, since he wasn't in his full dress uniform. He looks at the two in front of him. "What we have here is information on the geth. This information would've been impossible to attain if it weren't for your Sentinels, Neo and your engineering expertise, Tali."

Tali interject. "Let's not forget your leadership and bravery, Shepard."

Shepard let off a small smile. "Now, we have that information and we're going to use it against Saren and his geth army. As a prize for our hard work before us are copies of the data we received." Shepard picks the first one and hands it over to Neo. "This is for you to give to the Agency."

"Thank you, Commander." Neo said as he takes the copy.

"For you Tali." Shepard gives the next one to her. "This is for you to take back to the Migrant Fleet."

"Keelah, Shepard." Tali took the copy and felt an overwhelming sense of joy flooding through her body. "Thank you, this will help a great deal to our people."

Shepard nods his head and picks up the last copy. "This will go to Alliance Command." Shepard examines the copy and nods. "You did well guys and deserve some rest. You two are dismissed."

Joker chimed in over the intercom. "Should I patch a signal through to Admiral Hackett?"

"Yes, Joker." Shepard said as he approached the communication terminals. "Patch me through. I'm sending a message."

Shepard opened a link and attached the geth data to the message. He knew it was only a matter of minutes, before Admiral Hackett would respond to the message. His prediction came true when the message hub was blinking.

Shepard turned on the message hub and the holographic image of the gruff Admiral stood before him. "Commander, we just received that geth data you just sent us. Nice work."

"It wasn't easy, but those Sentinels Agent Neo used pulled through." Shepard explained.

"I know about the agent's toys." Hackett said. "Not bad for antiques, still got the job done and a little more extra than we expected. What I wanted to also tell you that your presence is required and you need to strap into the Matrix."

"I imagine the Prime Minister want a word with me as well?" Shepard crossed his arms and shakes his head.

"Actually, you might want to hold on to yourself for this." Hackett smiled. "You're needed by the Oracle herself."

"You're kidding me?" Shepard couldn't believe what he was hearing. "What does she want from me or do I already know that answer?"

"The Oracle has been keeping tabs on you since your induction to the Spectres and I guess this recent mission through the Armstrong Nebula had perked her curiosity. She wants to see you and I have forwarded the data you sent me to her directly."

"I will make the arrangement, sir." Shepard said.

"Oh, and one more thing." Hackett added. "She also said to bring someone along."

"I'm guessing she wants to see Agent Neo as well?" Shepard said.

"Actually, since you got those pods up and running…" Hackett trailed off for a moment, but then he spat out what he needed to say. "She wants you to bring Tali'Zorah along."

"She wants to bring an non-human into the Matrix?" Shepard's eyes widened as no doubt that he had so many questions to ask the Admiral.

"The Oracle wants to meet the very quarian who helped gather this information." Hackett said. "She didn't explain why, but it would be an interesting experience nevertheless."

"I'll see to it, sir." Shepard said.

"Glad to hear that." Hackett simulated pressing a button in front of him. "Hackett out."

Shepard went down to the cargo hold and told Tali the message Hackett told him. She was hesitant and nervous to the idea of venturing inside the Matrix, but after some convincing Tali agreed to come along.

Shepard was sitting in his seat while Tali were entering one of the connector pods. Tali asked. "So I will be the first non-human ever to enter this Matrix?"

"Yeah, exciting isn't it?" Shepard tried to lift her spirits, but he knew that he wasn't sure of the outcome himself. He was hoping that this trip wouldn't kill her or psychologically damage her. Entering a simulation program was one thing, but the Matrix was a whole other level of experience. So much could go wrong.

"If you say so." Tali said nervously as if she knew the potential risks as well as Shepard did.

"Are you ready?" Shepard asked as he pushed the button on the handle of his seat.

"Ready." Tali said as the pod doors closed.

Both Shepard and Tali closed their eyes and darkness followed. The light came back and both wake up inside a vehicle. They looked at each other, relieved that the transfer worked. Then they realized that the vehicle they were in was a skycar. They were flying over some type of path with other skycars, it was quite similar to being on Ilium as they were coasting through the air with what seems to be a city below them. The buildings weren't odd or unique from one another; it was one bland homogenized building after another. They all shared the color of light grey, no more than ten stories high, and the only way to tell one building apart was the crevices of roads and alleys below. The buildings stretched off into the flat horizon without an end in sight, it gave the impression that this city went on forever.

"Are we inside the Matrix?" Tali asked.

"Yes." Shepard told the curious quarian. "What you're looking at is the center of the Matrix's epicenter."

"It looks so. So..." Tali didn't emphasize on the description or she could find the words to describe what she's feeling. Then she gazed at another structure up ahead. "What's that?"

Tali was pointing to a pyramid shaped building, one that would look similar to stone pyramids of the Yucatan peninsula. The only difference was that this building was wider, taller, and smooth with concrete on the sides of the building. On top of the pyramid looked like a beacon and it was emitting a green hue of streaming light which flowed like water in a river.

"That's the center of it all." Shepard said. "Everything that is the Matrix is in that building…or at least an accurate representation of what the Matrix is."

Shepard looked at the pyramid shaped building and it occurred to him that this skycar was descending towards that general location. Then the skycar came to a complete stop and landed on a landing pad, which was directly across the entrance of the pyramid building.

The skycar opened up and allowed both Shepard and Tali to exit. They walked towards the entrance, which was a large glossy metal door. The circular light was emitting a soft green glow and Shepard just touched the center of the light. The door slid upwards, but rather slowly. It took a few moments for the door to raise high enough to allow the two visitors inside.

Before Tali could walk in, she was greeted with a rather large pistol aiming at her face. She instinctively reached for her shotgun, but then she realized that she didn't have any weapons on her. She froze where she stood, but she managed to stressfully say. "Shepard?"

"Hey!" Shepard pulled Tali back and stood in front of her and danger. "What is this?"

"Your name and reason to be here." The low tone voice said with a cold demeanor.

Shepard hesitated for a few seconds, but then he was able to get a grip on himself and said. "I'm Commander Shepard of the Systems Alliance. This is Tali'Zorah. We were asked to come by the Oracle."

The man holding the pistol held up his weapon for a few more seconds and then he holstered his sidearm. He was wearing a formal suit worn by businessmen, politicians, and diplomats. What made him different from those men was this man was wearing a pair of shades to cover his eyes. He brought his head up to look at Shepard and Tali.

Shepard studied the man's face and noticed that his face was emotionless, his eyebrows were unusually curled upward despite his shades in the way, and he had black hair with receding hairlines. "Who are you and why did you point your sidearm at us?"

"It was a security procedure." The man said. "We don't have many visitors here just to see the Oracle." Then he stares at Tali. "Especially aliens."

Tali stepped away from behind Shepard and stood next to him. She didn't shrug to the man's remark, but she hoped this man wasn't a racist towards aliens.

"Pardon my protocol." The man still looking at Tali and then moving his eyes towards the commander. "Commander Shepard. Miss Zorah. I am Agent Smith. I will be taking you to see the Oracle. Follow me."


	19. Chapter 19

**CHAPTER 19**

Shepard and Tali were being guided by the well dressed man who calls himself Agent Smith. This building they were walking through looked a lot like a standard government office back on Earth, with walls polished with its dull grey color. They saw other well dressed men sitting around the corridors of this building; they were all watching the screens and monitoring all the activity in the Matrix.

The other well dressed men each have a frozen face like Agent Smith's. The men just continued working as if Shepard and Tali weren't even there, not giving the two any attention whatsoever.

Tali looked at the men and said to Shepard. "Keelah. These humans seem odd. It's as if they are in their own trance or level of thinking."

"We are not human, Miss Zorah" Smith said as the three entered an elevator and the elevator began to move upward.

"What did you say?" Tali asked.

"We are not human." Smith replied. "We are programs. Agent programs."

"Agents like, Neo?" Tali asked Shepard.

"No." Smith said again. "We were created by the Matrix and our purpose is to protect the mainframe and enforce the laws of the Matrix."

"Must be satisfying work." Shepard said.

"Well, I would be lying if I didn't share the same enthusiasm, Commander." Smith swiveled his head from side to side. "My work is satisfying enough to know that I do my part and keeping the humans from misbehaving."

Shepard heard of hint of resentment in Smith's last statement. "Sounds like you have a bit of a chip on your shoulder towards humans?"

Smith just turned his head towards Shepard. "The only thing humans are the equivalent of… is a virus. Their purpose is to multiply and consume. Then they spread to other worlds only to multiply and consume. When humans discover other alien beings out in the galaxy, they only discovered other viruses which also multiply and consume. Asari, batarians, turians, salarians, krogan…" He looks at Tali. "…and yes quarians. Each is a different brand of virus."

Shepard couldn't believe what he was hearing, but he played it cool. "Not comforting to know that you're guarding the Matrix after that comment."

Smith just simply responded. "My program is restricted due to the laws of the viruses on the Citadel. I assure you that my program forbids me to act in violence against any organic species." Smith turned his head, facing the elevator door.

The elevator door finally opened after the painfully long ride. _Even in the Matrix the elevators are slow_. Shepard thought to himself.

"The Oracle is waiting." Smith said as he extended his hand in an outward motion. "Don't keep her waiting." Shepard and Tali stepped out as the elevator door closed behind them.

They found themselves in a large room containing what looks like a lounge, a game room, a kitchen, and toys scattered all around. Then they noticed that children were sitting around the place, reading and playing with the toys.

"Hello Commander John Shepard and Tali' Zorah nar Rayya." Another well dressed man approached the two. He had shades and a suit like Agent Smith, but his ethnic background came across as asian. "My name's Seraph. I will take you to see the Oracle. Follow me."

Seraph led Shepard and Tali down a hallway, where many sights were to be seen. One sight was a classroom full of children sitting behind school desks. They were all wearing the same school uniform of the Emergence Academy from when Shepard attended as a boy. This class was different, because they had a holographic projection of a teacher.

"Do you have students from the Emergence Academy here?" Shepard asked.

"Yes." Seraph said. "Biotics training."

"Biotics?" Shepard asked.

"Yes." Seraph stopped and pointed to the classroom. "You see, most podborn humans don't have biotic abilities. That trait is left for freeborn humans since as children, they have been more susceptible to exposure of element zero growing up. Podborns have not, because of their time spent in their stasis pods. There are exceptions for a few podborns. Like these children. They are prodigies and it is estimated that when they receive biotic implants when they emerge from the Matrix, they would be just as powerful as any matriarchal asari. There is only one percent in the entire podborn population and because of the rarity; they come here for special additional education from the Emergence Academy."

Tali look over to a boy holding an object in his hand. It was a long piece of metal with a cupped spade at the end. Tali realized that this was an eating utensil the humans called a spoon. She looked at the boy, who was fixated on the spoon. The spoon began to shift to the side and moved back to its original position. Tali jerked back in amazement. She couldn't believe what she saw.

The boy looked at Tali. "There is no spoon." Then the boy smiled.

"Come." Seraph said. "She is waiting for us." They continued down their path until Seraph stopped Shepard and Tali. "Now be sure to listen to what the Oracle has to say. She never offers an invitation to anyone to see her like this, in her own home. This is quite the honor for both of you." He opens the door and a soft glowing light illuminated the room. "Enter, please."

* * *

Shepard and Tali were a bit hesitant at first, but they entered cautiously. When they entered the glowing room, the light disappeared and they found themselves inside what looked like a kitchen.

It didn't look like any kitchen Shepard or Tali have seen before. It looked like an old fashioned kitchen from the late 20th century. The walls were plastered with flower patterned wallpaper and the similar flower pattern curtains were draped over a sunlit window. Over at the corner of the kitchen looked to what appeared to be a shrine. The center piece was a framed photograph of a man with black hair parted from left to right and the photo was in black and white. Evidence showed that candles were lit previously and dried up flowers littered the surface of the mantle-piece. Below the photograph read the words _Alan Turing _written in engraved letters. There was also an oven that looks overly used and on the counter next to the oven was a small television, which looked like it had been assembled with an old primitive plastic alloy.

Then a woman was bending over and pulling out a tray from the oven. The woman stood up and Shepard recognized the familiar face from when he saw her for the first time during his graduation from the Emergence Academy.

"Commander Shepard." The Oracle said while she dropped the contents of the tray onto an empty plate as the baked items, which turned out to be cookies. "Welcome to my home."

"Th…thank you, Oracle." Shepard couldn't believe who he was talking to. "It's an honor." Shepard struggled through his words.

The Oracle took off her oven mitts off and hung up her apron. Then she approached Tali. "Tali' Zorah. It's a pleasure to meet you, too." She extended her hand for a handshake, but Tali was a bit hesitant. "Don't be frightened, child. I'm not geth." Tali realized that this woman was an advanced A.I., but she also realized that she was being rude. Tali extended her hand and shook the Oracle's hand. "See. Not all A.I.'s are out to get you. But speaking of A.I., I just got your package commander."

The Oracle nodded her head over to the table and Shepard noticed a long packaged box, which had been opened. He reached inside the box and pulled out what looked like a rolled up rug and attached to the rug was two metal hooks on opposite ends. He looked at the package in confusion.

The Oracle looked at the rug. "Can you be a dear and hang that up on the wall there?" She pointed to the two nails which were attached to the wall. Shepard attached the one nail to the hook while Tali took the liberty to help with the other hook. The rug was still rolled up, because it was fastened by two button straps. Shepard unhinged one strap while Tali unhinged the other. Gravity took over and the rug unfolded. The rug turned out to be a woven image in fabric, a tapestry to be exact. However, this tapestry had the image of a geth soldier holstering a pulse rifle. Shepard and Tali looked at the tapestry and now both were confused.

The Oracle just approached the tapestry as she put on a pair of reading glasses. She studied the woven lines for a minute pressing her right index, middle, and ring finger on the woven image. She ran her hands from top to bottom, feeling the tapestry. She stopped when there was no more room left. The Oracle turned around to face Shepard and Tali while she pulled off her glasses. "Fascinating."

"What was that?" Tali asked.

"Oh, I just read the information that was sent to me." The Oracle pulled out her chair and sat down.

"Information?" Shepard said. "You mean this is what I sent you? So it comes in the form of a tapestry. This represents what you see?"

"Actually, this is what you see." The Oracle looked at the commander and smiled. "This whole place. This is what a human and now a non-human sees when one enters this room. That tapestry is what you proceed to see as just a piece of artwork, but if you look closely at the fibers of the work it tells a different message. Look closely and you will see a pattern with the strands of fibers attaching this tapestry."

Shepard and Tali looked closely at the strands. They both studied the fabric, but then Tali pointed out the difference. "Shepard. Look at the strands."

"What about it?" Shepard asked.

Tali pointed at one strand. "See how one strand loops over another, but that same strand loops over the other at some point. Then the next strand shows a different pattern."

"She's right." The Oracle looked at the quarian and smiled. "In case you're wondering, when the vertical strand loops over the horizontal, it represents a 'zero'. When the horizontal strand loops over the vertical, it represents a 'one'."

Shepard looks at the Oracle and then he looks at the tapestry. Then he looks back at the elderly woman. "Binary code?" She only responded with a single nod. "So what does it say?"

The Oracle looks at Shepard for a moment. Then she spoke calmly to the two visitors. "It tells me about some entity named Nazara signaling the geth in open communication. It also mentions about a group of entities which go by the name, _The Old Machines_. It also mentions the following statement: _Your civilization is based upon the technology of the mass relays. Our technology. By using it, your society develops along the paths we desire_. It would seem that the Old Machines would be simply referenced as the Reapers. It would also appear that this particular group of geth is worshiping the Reapers as a form of higher power." The Oracle stopped for a moment to think about what she just said. She just lowers her head and places her left fingers over her mouth.

"Is something wrong?" Shepard asked.

The Oracle lifts her head up and looks directly at Shepard. "It's. It's just that when I remembered being created, I knew the high probability that humans would find other forms of intelligent life out in the galaxy." Then she stopped and decided not to continue her train of thought. "I can't reveal too much at the moment."

"What did you mean by particular group of geth?" Tali asked. The Oracle looks at Tali. "Oh, well from what I read the geth that you have been fighting for the past month is a group of geth that worship the Reapers. From what I am to understand, the geth are split in two rivaling factions."

Tali perked up a bit when she couldn't believe that the geth were having internal conflicts amongst themselves, which can lead to opportunity through weakness of her people's hated enemy. "What are these factions?"

"This group refers to themselves simply as _believers_." The Oracle said. "As the other group are just called _non-believers_ and they stay behind the Veil where your homeworld of Rannoch resides." Then she looks over to Shepard. "These believers are willing servants of the Reapers and they also think that Saren is their prophet or messiah for that matter."

Shepard rubbed his chin in deep thought. "Before Lady Benezia died on Noveria, she mentioned that the ship Saren was traveling on, called Sovereign had the power to alter opinions and motives through indoctrination. It made sense when some of Saren's followers were not just geth, but he had asari and krogan working under him. At first I thought that the geth might have built a ship that powerful, but now this new information on the Reapers is giving me insight that Sovereign wasn't built by the geth, but by the Reapers."

The Oracle smiles at the commander like a mother just watched her child completing an intelligent task. "Your insight has proven you right, but there will be more to it to know on the horizon." Then someone knocks on the door to the kitchen. "Come in, they're ready."

The door opens and six children entered, each seemed younger than ten years of age. The Oracle pulls up the plate of fresh baked cookies, one for each child to take. Shepard and Tali stood out of the way of the children and back in the corner next to the Alan Turing shrine. As the children began to leave, one boy noticed Tali. It was the same boy who showed Tali the ability to bend the spoon with his mind. While holding a cookie in one hand and still clutching his spoon in the other, he approached Tali. He raised his hand and he attempts to give his spoon to Tali. Tali slowly take the spoon and the boy smiles as he walks out of the kitchen, eating his cookie. Tali looked at the spoon, curiously thinking why he would give her the eating utensil. _Maybe he doesn't know that quarians cannot eat solid food unless in a sterile environment_.

"Looks like you made a friend." Shepard smiled.

"Don't eat anything, even in the Matrix." The Oracle warned Tali. "If you take your mask off, you can still die. Mainly that your mind won't know the difference between what is real and what isn't. It's a shame; I wanted you to try some of my oatmeal cookies. I could send you a dextro-version later, would you like that?"

"Sure." Tali said resting the spoon on the table.

"Well, back to what we were talking about." Shepard said. "What do you mean there will be more to know?"

The Oracle stood up and walked over to the oven. She turned around and looked at Shepard and Tali. "Let me put it this way. Don't worry about that vase."

"What vase?" Shepard looked confused, but when he moved around he bumped into the mantle holding the flowers and candles of the shrine. It was enough force for a vase full of flowers to drop and shatter on the floor. Shepard looked up at the Oracle in an apologetic facial expression.

"That vase." The Oracle continued looking at Shepard. "You see, I just told you the future. Now the question is would you still have broken it if I haven't said anything?"

Shepard didn't say anything at first, but then he said to her. "I'm sorry about that."

"I said don't worry about it." She smiles as she leaned back on the counter. "Back to what I was saying, there is a lot I can see since many of my visions are of the future. If I tell you what I see would you still achieve those goals…like catching Saren?"

"I guess, I understand." Shepard said.

The Oracle leans over to the television and turns on the power. "Maybe this will help you understand further. I don't just see the future, but I also see alternate universes. These two channels tend to catch my attention." She turned the knob to channel 2 and the image showed the same towers that loomed over the skyline, containing pods. It looked like the Matrix facility back on Earth. "This universe was the outcome of the Human/Machine war…after the Machines won." Shepard looked at the screen and cringed when he saw humans in pods and they were constantly being monitored by the same type of Sentinels Neo brought with him for the mission on the Armstrong Nebula. Then he saw the sky, blackened with storms and electromagnetic static.

"My God." Shepard said.

"Keelah." Tali responded along with Shepard.

"Now that when I turn to this channel, we see a universe where the machines weren't created and there was never a Human/Machine war." The Oracle turned the knob to channel 3. The next scene was an image of the Citadel and Shepard was standing before the Council. Wrex, Tali, Udina and Anderson were standing behind him.

"Shepard." Tali pointed to the screen. "This is your induction into the Specters."

"You're right." The Oracle said. "But can you spot the difference?"

Shepard looked closely at himself. "I don't have the node on my head. Am I a freeborn human, here?"

The Oracle chuckled. "Every human is a freeborn in this universe."

"This is interesting, but what's on the other channels?" Shepard asked.

The Oracle turned the television off. "That's the future. I could show you, but how will you approach the future if you already know how it will unfold? It would be like reading the last few pages of a mystery novel. You will find out, but it ruins the story and it slightly corrupts the person you are from attaining wisdom. Imagine what would happen if you knew was going to happen on Akuze, because I told you the future?"

"Well." Shepard cringed at the memory as he tried to think. "I would've known about the thresher maw before hand, but I would be more prepared for the attack."

"But being more prepared for what you were about to see would've made you more cautious." The Oracle pulls out a box of cigarettes and places one stick between her lips. "However, your caution would've hindered your natural abilities, because you would've tried to stay alive and keep your men alive. And I stress the word 'tried'."

"So trying is bad?" Shepard asked.

"You don't try." She lit her cigarette and takes a deep breath. "You just do. You survived Akuze, because you do. You're a great soldier out on the field, because you do. You're a leader, because you do. You have that ability to be the man you are not because of the Matrix and not because you try. It's because you do. Like the story of the two girls swimming in the lake. One girl had swimming lessons her whole life while the other just watched others and learned what they did to stay afloat. Then she decides to try and swim on the lake, but at one point she couldn't stay afloat. Then the girl who could swim came to the girl's rescue. When the girl who almost drowned was pulled to safety, she said how she _tried_ to swim. Then the other girl said that it was her mistake. She _tried_ to swim, when she should've just allowed the ability to swim come _naturally_."

Shepard looked at the Oracle and he absorbed what she had told him. "So knowing the future would hinder my abilities to be the man I am today. Alright then, no asking about my future."

"Now that doesn't mean I won't give you advice." The Oracle finished her cigarette and looked at Shepard. "For example, I know what you did back on Noveria and I'm glad you released the rachni queen. You gave a once extinct species a second chance at life and redemption. I also see that the rachni will be helpful in the years to come. So when the chance presents itself, you must convince the Council to let the rachni queen be granted an audience to all the Citadel races."

"How can I do that?" Shepard crossed his arms. "I barely convinced the Council to look into Saren's involvement with the geth. Not to mention that they were not pleased with my decision to release the rachni queen. How can I convince the Council to let the queen address them?"

"Like I said." The Oracle said. "Chance will present itself."

"The chance will have to be big, because humans are still treated like second-class citizens back on the Citadel." Shepard explained.

"Only because of fear." The Oracle said. "The Council fears the humans as similar to how they fear the krogan."

"And look what happened to them." Shepard replied. "Even after all your support for the krogan, they still don't trust outside influence."

"Not fear of a destructive nature." She said. "Fear of not understanding. They only allowed the Alliance into the Citadel and allowed certain leeway in hopes of controlling the Alliance's direction. It is up to you, John. Show the Council that humans aren't people to be feared, but people to be trusted with the hopes and stability of this galaxy. I have always had faith in you and I have faith in you now. As for the krogan, the only one that do show support are the krogan who leave their homeworld while the xenophobic krogan refuse to leave their home and pass up any opportunity to progress themselves. However, I also see changes coming their way as long as you take good care of your fellow crewmember, Wrex."

Shepard raised an eyebrow. For a second he was about to ask how she knew, but it's a question not to be asked since he needed not to bother with the answer.

"Now, will you be a dear and wait outside." The Oracle asked kindly. "I need a few minutes with Miss Zorah."

Shepard didn't say anything at first, but then he responded. "It was a pleasure to meet you in person."

"It won't be the last." She said. "I might have you bring Agent Anderson with you next time."

Shepard looked at Tali for a moment. She nods to affirm that she'll be fine so he turned away and walked out of the kitchen. Then Tali looked at the Oracle.

"So." Tali said.

"So." The Oracle added. "What would you like to know about you?"

"I would much rather know about the fate of my people." Tali said. "I'm sure you know about my people's history."

"That I do." The Oracle sat on one of the chairs. "I also know you don't have a natural trust for me, but I understand why. The fears of A.I. stretching across many generations. Your people have so much potential and it is not right that your people should be treated in such a disrespectful manner. Your people are being punished for the mistake of your ancestors and it seems justifiable to the Council, but not me. That is why I approved of the Migrant Fleet to reside in Alliance space."

"So it was your authority that allowed my people into Alliance space?" Tali questioned.

"No." The Oracle extended her hand to have Tali take a seat in the chair in front of her. "You see, I don't have real authoritarian power. I have only influence and opinion. However, having that type of power can be stronger than any political power. Winning hearts and minds is the way to do it and being the matriarch of half the human population helps. I asked John to show the galaxy what humanity is capable of and since you are part of his crew, you have the chance to do the same thing for the quarian people."

"What do you mean?" Tali looked puzzled underneath her visor.

The Oracle clasps her hands over Tali's three fingered hand for comfort. "For too long, your people have lived in your own insular community and only during this past decade on, quarians started gaining the self-confidence your people needed for so long. Now is the time to prove the galaxy the worth of the quarian people and John Shepard will help you achieve those goals."

Tali lowered her head and nods in approval. "I appreciate your words of wisdom, Oracle. I…just. Thank you."

Tali couldn't say anything else as the Oracle picks up the spoon from the table. She looks at the spoon. "John's right. Looks like you made a friend."

"Yes." Tali said. "Strange gift, but it was nice. I take it that I can't bring it with me when I leave."

"I'll tell you what." The Oracle places the spoon in Tali's hand. "Remember our talk and I'll send you a nice package in the mail that will give you comfort. A reminder of your time here. Oh, and I have one more thing to tell you."

"What is it?" Tali said anxiously.

"Actually, it's more about your commander." The Oracle narrowed her eyes and gave Tali a warm smile.

* * *

Shepard was in the lounge waiting for Tali to be finished with the Oracle. He looked over and saw the same children from before. They were sitting on the floor with their legs crossed and forming a circle. He observed what the children were doing and they were playing some form of game with a ball, passing it from one child to another. The only difference was that they weren't using their hands or feet, but the ball kept moving without physical contact from the children. Shepard could only presume that the children were using their minds to move the ball around.

"Shepard." A voice came from down the hallway. Shepard recognized the voice and it was Tali approaching. She seemed to be walking like she had springs on her toes.

"Tali." Shepard said. "How was your talk with the Oracle?"

"It was great." Tali said with a strong hint of joyousness.

"What did you talk about?" Shepard tried to pry a little.

"Actually, I was told to keep it to myself." Tali said. "I'm sorry Shepard, but she insisted that I don't reveal what I know until the time comes."

"Fair enough." Shepard said. "Ready to leave?"

"Right behind you, Commander." Tali responded. Then she turned her head and looked over to see the same boy looking at her. He started to wave and she waved back.

* * *

The next day passed since Tali went into the Matrix. She was back at work processing more data on the console in the engineering room, when one of the ship's servicemen came into engineering carrying a rolling tray full of packages.

The serviceman called for Tali's name and she was a bit confused, since she didn't order anything. The serviceman walked up to the young quarian and she took the small package from the man. She looked at the package and the return address had only a series of numbers and numeric lettering written in human language.

"Who sent this?" Asked Tali.

"Don't know, ma'am." The serviceman replied. "It was a rush order from Earth. According to the return address, the order came straight from the Matrix. From the lettering code, it looks like a high level security clearance. Maybe they want you to install something for the ship. If you're not sure what the package is, we can bring the Master at Arms down here and have them check it out."

Tali thought for a second. "That won't be necessary. Thank you."

As the serviceman leaves, Tali slowly opened the package. She looks inside and to her shock she saw only tubes. She pulled out the first tube and realized that these were nutrient paste tubes, but they were brown instead of its usual green color. She looked at the writing on the tubes, it was written in her quarian language. This one said _Oatmeal cookie (Dextro)_. Tali almost jumped when she realized that the gifts were from the Oracle herself. Then she pulled another tube and this one said _Chocolate Chip cookie (Dextro)_. Then she pulled out another and the other tubes read _Peanut Butter, Sugar, Chocolate w/white chocolate chip._ Tali felt her heart warm up. When she got to the bottom of the package, her eyes widened when she pulled out something that wasn't a tube. She pulled out a familiar object. It was a spoon. She looked at the spoon with great detail and she found some engraving written on its handle. It was also written in her language and it reads: _Always remember._


	20. Chapter 20

_**A/N: **_

_I would like to let the readers know that I just got a suggestion a while back from Follower 38 and sent an idea to add to the story. I liked the idea so I wanted to fit it into one of these chapters. I chose this chapter to describe a new weapon and I must give credit to Follower 38 so without further a due, chapter 20._

* * *

**CHAPTER 20**

**SSV NORMADY**

**STATUS: ON ROUTE TO FEROS**

Neo received another heavy crate ordered from his Agency, but the package was brought to the Command Information Center and not directly to the cargo hold. He got help moving the package from the CIC to the cargo from Garrus and they took it to Ashley's work area. Unfortunately she wasn't at her usual spot, so Neo decided to take the crate to that area and wait for her there. Wrex wasn't at his usual spot either, but Neo was glad. He was glad, because he didn't want Wrex knowing what he had brought down to the cargo hold.

Neo and Garrus place the crate near the lockers, then propped the crate up to its side. "Thanks, Garrus."

"No problem." Garrus said pulling out a tube from one of his pockets.

"What's that?" Neo asked. "Looks like a nutrient paste tube."

"This?" Garrus looked at the tube. "Yes. Tali got a package from the mail. She said it was from your Oracle. She gave Tali tubes of cookies and they were catered to dextro beings like her. Since I was the only other dextro on board, she decided to give me an extra tube. It's not bad." Garrus said as he sucked at the tip of the tube.

"That sounds like the Oracle alright." Neo looks at Garrus. "For some reason she has a fixation on making cookies."

When the elevator opened, Ashley came out carrying her omnipad. She noticed Neo and Garrus standing next to her station with a crate. She approached the two and asked. "What's this? Another new toy from the Agency?"

"Sort of, but you'll both need to see this." Neo said to both Ashley and Garrus as he opens the crate.

When the crate was opened, all they found was a heavy metallic box with a control panel on its left side. It was a weapons storage locker. Neo activated his Omni-tool and typed in his clearance code. The weapons storage locker opened and Neo swung the door wide to reveal a black rifle with a widened barrel, three pronged wires connecting from the butt to the base of the trigger, and a large scope.

Neo, Ashley, and Garrus looked inside. Ashley was the first to ask. "What is it?"

"It looks like sniper rifle, but with grenade launching capabilities." Garrus said.

"What you two are looking at is a dark piece of human history." Neo reaches in and pulls out the weapon. "The Arc Rifle. It's a rifle that fires a cohesive stream of electricity. Developed in the latter years of the Human/Machine war, it was a more compressed and lighter version of the lightning guns those front line troopers who fought outside of an Armored Personnel Unit used against the machines." Then Neo looks at Ashley. "It weighs as much as a fully loaded B.A.R. of the 1940s. However, it was produced in limited numbers despite its greater capabilities due to the end of the war. The weapon continued to be produced due to its' effectiveness against organics as well as machines, particularly in the Insurrection/Terrorism era, that is between the Great Synthesis of 2102 to the First Contact War...or the Relay 314 incident." Neo corrected himself in front of Garrus. "Not to mention its limited collateral damage against infrastructure. However, all units of the weapon were placed on lock down only several years prior to the First Contact War or the Relay 314 incident." Neo corrected himself again.

Then Neo slowly strode over to Ashley's workstation and turned around. He lowered his head and solemnly, looking at the rifle in his hand. "One such incident happened back in 2112 when several extremists, six to be precise, who were against the peace between the humans & machines and had a strong hatred towards podborn humans. They didn't like what part of the human race have become, altered by the works of machines, so they attacked as each was armed with one Arc Rifle. They infiltrated a podborn facility and opened fire on the towers. The Arc Rifle corrupted the tower's systems, prematurely releasing dozens of podborns, killing hundreds within minutes of opening fire. Children no older than ten years of age." Neo takes a deep breath. "Along with destroying hundreds of A.I. units by overloading the tower's numerous servers. After the incident all rifles have been either been locked down or destroyed. Due to the potent power of these rifles, all high ranking agents in the Alliance Agency, like me, have been granted access to such weaponry. Agents are warned to use such weapons in a very limited fashion only on missions that are considered 'High Threat'. Fighting Saren and the geth has now been labeled as a 'High Threat' mission and only I have authorization to use this weapon."

Garrus approaches Neo with very stern look on his face. "Neo. This Arc Rifle is clearly a violation of the Citadel Convention."

"Yes." Neo responds. "I know, but with Saren running loose, the geth invading, and now we learn that they are being aided by the Reapers…we don't have much of a choice. Trust me, Garrus. I don't like the thought of using this weapon anymore than you do, but we need all the firepower we can get."

Garrus looked at the agent's eyes and saw the sincerity in his comment. "Alright. Suppose you use this rifle against the geth and Saren's agents, but why are you telling me and Chief Williams about this?"

"You're going to find out about it sooner or later about this rifle." Neo said. "Besides, since both are you are both experts with weapons and since this thing haven't been fired in almost fifty years, I need to know if this weapon is battle ready." Neo turns around and rests the rifle down on the table. "Not to mention that I trust both of you enough to know the rifle's tech functions and that you both won't pass it off to pirates and slavers. Chief, I just want you to strip this down and see if this thing can still fire and Mr. Vakarian can calibrate it."

"How do you know that I…" Garrus wanted to complain, but he was cut off by Neo in mid sentence.

"It's no secret that you seem to enjoy calibrating weapons. Everyone on the ship knows that." Neo said while Ashley nods in agreement with his statement.

"Just let me know when you're ready." Garrus walks back over to his side of the cargo hold.

"Now Miss Williams, if you don't mind I will be supervising your work." Neo said. "This is a classified weapon and it would be best that I monitor your progress."

"I don't mind." Ashley said. "But why don't you simply download a gunsmith course on one of those connector chairs?"

"It's one of the things they teach you at the Emergence Academy as a child." Neo said. "They teach you not to succumb to the temptations of complacency. Don't forget, that's how the Human/Machine war began. Downloading information and skills is easy, but there is a certain feeling of achievement when one learns on your own."

"Well, it gives me a chance to tell you something." Ashley said. "Thanks for the book."

"You're welcome." Neo said.

"Maybe I shouldn't ask how you know I like Walt Whitman." Ashley told Neo as she began unscrewing bolts.

"Actually I didn't." Neo confessed. "It was my book." She raised her head up and raised an eyebrow. "When you came down here after talking to Shepard, you looked like you could use a little cheering up. Did it work?"

"Actually, yes it did. It was my father's favorite poet." Ashley said as she continued stripping down the rifle. "How is it that you like Whitman so much?"

"When I was I kid, I was taught to read." Neo explained. "As a child the teachers will make you to remember large tracks of poems and verses. One of the first poems I've read was from Whitman. I would read it during my times of crisis when I left the Emergence Academy."

"Times of crisis?" Ashley wanted to know more. "What was your life like after you graduated?"

"Tough." Neo said. "I didn't have anyone to go to."

"Why, what happened?" Ashley wanted to know more.

"At the time when I graduated from the Academy, was around the time I lost my family." Neo closed his eyes.

Ashley stopped taking the rifle apart and looked at the agent. "Tell me more." She put her hand on his shoulder. "What happened to your family?"

Neo slowly began to speak. "When my parents left me for the Matrix, they made a home on newly formed colony on Mindior. They were running a successful business on the colony. It was a farm distribution center where we transport farm gear and crops to all of Alliance space. When I was old enough to leave the Matrix, I was going to join them on the colony and help run the business. However, the day of my graduation was when I got the news."

* * *

**EARTH**

**MATRIX FACILITY**

**WAITING ROOM**

**JUNE 21, 2170**

"_I have been trying to get a hold of my parents for the last couple of days, but I got no response. I figured they were coming since it took a couple of days to get from Mindior to Earth. But I was met by someone instead."_

Thomas Anderson was wearing his sterile coveralls and slippers. He looks for someone through this group of people holding his name while rubbing his bald head, feeling the chill of exposed air on his head.

Then someone held a sign with his name on it. He approached the person, but realized that this woman holding the sign was not his mother. It was some random middle aged woman with brown hair, wearing a work dress designated for an office place.

"Excuse me, Thomas Anderson?" The woman asked.

"Yes." Thomas said.

"I'm Julianne Desmond." She shakes Thomas's hand. "I have something to discuss to you about."

"Where are my parents?" Thomas asked.

"That is one of the things I have to discuss to you about later." The woman said.

"No. I want to know now!" Thomas loudly demanded earning him a few stares from the other parents and graduates. "Are they hurt? Are they in trouble?"

Desmond hesitated for a minute, but told Thomas to have a seat. "Thomas I don't know any better way to tell you this. You see I'm from Children's Social Services. I came to inform you that there had been an attack on the colony where your parents lived, Mindior. Pirates raided one of the farms your parents lived on. I'm sorry to tell you, but your parents didn't make it."

_"Then my world came crashing down on me. Everything that I had planned for since leaving the Academy came to a terrible end. The social worker told me that I would be placed in a foster home until I was eighteen, but I ran away the first chance I got. I ran away to the streets of Vancouver and took all the money my parents left me and I began a downward spiral."_

* * *

**EARTH**

**VANCOUVER**

**2 YEARS LATER**

"_When I got older, the money ran out and I needed new ways to keep my income flowing, mostly to feed my newly discovered drug habit. So I learned how to hack into the Matrix and steal information such as bank accounts, credit card accounts, corporate secrets, you name it, I took it all. I started a low-rent version of information brokerage to __help out other criminal types. That's when I got the attention of some local gangsters_."

Thomas approaches a house and he rings the buzzer next to the door made of solid oak. A small panel on the top of the door opens and a man peeks through to see who it is. He sees Thomas and nods. The door opens and the man holds a pistol at Thomas, gesturing him with his hand to come on inside.

When Thomas is inside, the guard quickly scans Thomas's body with his Omni-tool. "Okay, you're clean. They're waiting for you downstairs in the basement." The guard pointed him where to go.

When Thomas walked down the flight of stairs, he was greeted by three men sitting behind a table. The men were wearing expensive suits, but their manners didn't match their style of clothing. They were in the middle of some crude conversation about past fornications or killing some aliens.

They stopped talking when they saw Thomas approaching. "Sit." The man in the center pointed to the chair parked five feet away from their table. Thomas noticed the table was littered with omnipads, bottles of half-drunk scotch and bourbon, and possibly traces of red dust which could only means they were doing some red sand earlier. "So, Anderson is it?"

"Yes." Thomas said.

The man in the center stood up and looked at Thomas. "We have made a decision and we have decided to allow you in, but some basic ground rules must be discussed before we allow you in. You only answer to us and nobody else outside this organization. You are not allowed to make contact with other groups and their associates. You will not talk to the law, if you ever get caught you will stay quiet and we'll send you a lawyer to spring you out. Any questions?"

"Yeah." Thomas said. "Why are you guys giving me a chance? Groups like you don't seem to bring in too many podborns like myself. Why the change?"

The man in the center simply states. "We don't hate podborns, kid. Your human and that's all that matters. It's just rare to see a podborn in your state."

"To humanity. Remember Shanxi." The man on the left raises his glass of scotch and the other two somewhat joined in.

"My state?" Thomas raised his eyebrows.

"Yeah." The man on the right added. "We don't see too many podborns down in the trenches with guys like us, but you just seem to have a 'don't give a shit anymore' vibe coming from you."

Thomas didn't argue with what the man said. He has developed an apathy for life these days.

"We are, however are always on the lookout for new talent." The man on the left said after he finished his drink. "Your hacking skills and ways to maneuver through the Matrix are incredibly useful for a rising organization like ours."

"The point is this." The man in the center pours another glass of scotch and pours more into another empty glass. "How we expect our guys to earn around here is to each put in their share of the work and brings in the cash on a regular basis. How you will be putting in your share will be with information. Your job will be simple, provide us with information we need and you will get a cut from the deal depending on the value of the information. Think of it as working for commission that comes with the free protection in case anyone wants to fuck with you. Got it?"

"Yes." Thomas said. "I got it."

"Great, now come here boy." The man pushes the drink toward Thomas. "This calls for a drink, because you just became a man."

Thomas grabs the scotch and he drinks along with the three other bosses.

"_My career running with organized crime would only last me almost two years. I still didn't care about my situation. Joining a gang was just another path I took in my downward spiral, until I was finally caught."_

* * *

**EARTH**

**NEW YORK CITY**

**FEBRUARY 14, 2174**

"_I was waiting in a police station, getting ready to be interrogated. At that point I didn't care. I didn't care what would become of me. Jail or death didn't bother me, because around that time I had lost all fear of death. I was ready to die one way or another, whether it would be in jail or on the streets, because my invitation was open to anyone who accepted. But it was an agent who answered."_

Thomas was waiting inside a dimly lit room. The room only had one table, one security camera hanging on the upper-corner wall, and a mirror which is obviously a one-way mirror. He was determined not to show any remorse or fear to whoever wants information.

Then the door opened and a tall man with darkened skin walks through. He was wearing a black formal suit, his head was shaved, and he walked with a sense of a commanding presence. The man takes a look at Thomas and nods in an approval fashion. He then turns his attention to the security camera as he activates his Omni-tool. The camera's green light goes red signaling that it is off. Thomas took notice of the back of his head and noticed the Matrix node. _He's a podborn too_.

The man turns his attention towards Thomas after the camera was disabled. "So, Thomas Anderson. How are you?"

"I'm not saying anything until I see a lawyer." Thomas said.

"That's not what I'm here for." The man said.

"Oh, I see." Thomas said. "Turn off the camera, then have your way with me so you can squeeze out a confession. You know, I heard in the old days cops used something called 'phonebooks' to beat a confession out of someone. Sucks for you that they don't have phonebooks anymore, I heard they were useful. Didn't leave any trace of bruising or scars from what I hear."

"You're confused, Mr. Anderson." The man told Thomas as he pulled up a chair and sat across from him. "I know you are in a difficult situation and I am here to offer you a way out. What if I told you I can offer you a new life, a brand new start?"

"What kind of cop are you?" Thomas asked.

"I'm not a cop." The man said. "I'm an agent of the Systems Alliance Intelligence Agency. You see, I'm part of a special branch of the Agency that hand picks tech specialists and people with unique skills, especially those who are orphaned as children. People like you are what we look for in a potential candidate, Mr. Anderson."

"Bullshit!" Thomas snaps at the man. "This is just another cop trick! I want my lawyer, now!"

"Take a look at your options." The man pulls up a file on his Omni-tool. "You have been picked up for handling sensitive government and corporate information and you were about to deliver this information to head members of your criminal organization and since you're a podborn the judge can authorize a data check to see what other information you have gathered over the years. The police have you on the spot and you are looking at fifteen to thirty years in prison, if you will live long enough to see your release. But that aspect doesn't seem to bother you. From what I understand you have no desire to live, but prefer no desire to die a quick and easy death. You're a talented young man with so much potential, but chose to utilize your skills with criminals. I can offer you a way out of that type of life."

"What are you getting at?" Thomas asked angrily.

"I'm offering you a chance to make something for yourself." The man smiled. "The Agency could use a young man like you. You're perfect. You have the skills and mental capacity to handle yourself and you have no family ties to hold you back. How would you like to serve the Alliance?"

"Who are you?" Thomas asked while he narrowed his eyes.

"Agent Morpheus." The man said.

"What kind of name is that?" Thomas scoffed. "What mother names their kid after the Roman God of dreams?"

Morpheus responds. "It's actually Greek, but the name is a code name I chosen myself and if you choose to join you can respond to a name of your choice."

"_I didn't jump at the chance right away, naturally. I wasn't buying the agent's story, which was until he made an offer to make me disappear and train me into becoming a full-fledged agent_."

* * *

Ashley focused on Neo's story as he continued. "Morpheus took me under his wing and taught me the fine art of espionage and intelligence gathering. He was like the father I never had the chance to meet in person and it hardened my resolve to fight for the Alliance and doing everything I can to keep the colonies safe from behind the scenes." Neo takes a deep breath and looks at the overhead of the cargo hold. "For all that time, I never forgot what I had learned as a child. I would often recite Whitman and other great poets during hard times as a shield to guard against the oncoming tide."

"I'm sorry to hear about your family." Ashley said. "I know I would go nuts if something was to happen to my family."

"Yeah." Neo responded. "Your family will always be important to you. Don't lose that feeling; there is no telling what kind of hell you can spiral into when you lose it."

Ashley wanted to change the subject as she questioned Neo with a smirk. "So, you have memorized tracks of Whitman, huh?"

Neo crosses his arms, looked at Ashley with his own smirk, and narrowed his eyes. He realized that she gave him a subtle challenge. He accepted by saying. "_O Captain. My Captain. Our fearful trip is done. The ship has weathered every rack, the prize we sought is won. The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting, while follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring: But O heart. Heart. Heart. O the bleeding drops of red, where on the deck my Captain lies, fallen cold and dead_."

Ashley returns with a warm smile and a raised eyebrow. "_O Captain. My Captain. Rise up and hear the bells. Rise up for you the flag is flung for you the bugle trills. For you bouquets and ribboned wreaths for you the shores a crowding. For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning. Here Captain. Dear father. This arm beneath your head. It is some dream that on the deck, you've fallen cold and dead_."

Neo unfolded his arms. "_My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still. My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will_."

Ash moved a little closer to Neo. "_The ship is anchored safe and found, its voyage closed and done. From fearful trip, the victor ship, comes in with object won_."

Before they knew it _both_ Neo and Ashley were finishing up the rest of the poem. "_Exult, O shores, and ring, O bells. But I, with mournful tread, walk the deck my Captain lies, fallen cold and dead_."

Before they realized it, both of their faces were only inches away from each other. For a moment their eyes had began to close and their lips were slightly opening, but another moment later…Neo pulled away from her. Then they both realized that they were having a moment of weakness.

Neo just took two steps backwards and drew his eyes away from Ashley. "I have something to…to do." His pathetic attempt to alleviate the situation made him look around and rub the back of his neck. "Just when you're done, give the rifle to Garrus."

Ashley just put her fingers over her lips and looks down on the floor. "Uh…do you. I thought you need to supervise me taking this apart?"

"I trust you." Neo spurted out the words like a shy teenage boy asking a girl to dance. "I trust you." He said again as he headed for the elevator.

Ashley face was blushing and she lightly placed her hand over her chest and exhaled a deep breath. Then she heard the familiar sound of a turian laughing. She looks over and sees Garrus shaking his head. "So, Chief Williams?" Garrus said. "Is that how human mating rituals work?"

Ashley scowled at Garrus and she showed the chuckling turian her middle finger.


	21. Chapter 21

**CHAPTER 21**

Joker announced over the intercom that the Normandy will be arriving at the colony of Feros in the estimated time of fifty minutes. There have been reports of geth activity on this colony, which have been settled by a corporation called ExoGeni.

Neo was sitting in the mess hall, with a fresh cup of coffee in his hand and tapping his fingertips on the table's surface. Under normal circumstances he would be happy to be arriving soon to test out another old weapon on the geth, but there are two reasons not making him happy.

The first reason was using the Arc Rifle, which has had a dark past and using such a weapon that would question the character of any person, even one that views that the ends justify the means just like Neo himself.

The second was a certain Chief Williams down in the cargo hold. He would recap in his mind over and over. _Why did I tell her so much about myself? Why did I try to get close to her? Remember the last time you allowed yourself to get involved with someone in high risk operations? How could I be so stupid? Why couldn't Shepard have chosen her instead of the naïve blue girl? _Neo takes a deep breath. _You almost kissed her. Think of Trinity, think of Trinity._

Walking towards the table was Kaiden Alenko. He was carrying a breakfast tray while wearing his armored suit as he saw the agent. Kaiden sat across the table from Neo and he decides to find out what could be upsetting him.

"How's it going, Agent Neo?" Kaiden asked. "You look like a soldier about to go on his first mission, which is kind of strange since the commander only picked me and Wrex to go with him and you'll be staying on board."

"Lieutenant." Neo greeted Kaiden. "Sorry, just recapping on some current events. Can't talk too much about it."

"Well, word around the scuttlebutt says that you gave the Chief a gift." Kaiden said. "Wouldn't have to be anything about that or is it also that you shared a moment with the Chief about an hour ago, reciting some poem?"

Neo's eyes narrowed and his mouth began to twist into a scowl. "Who told you that?" Neo already knew the answer, but he wanted to hear the answer.

"Garrus." Kaiden shifted his eyes to his left arm.

"That gossiping old lady, I'll…" Neo was cut short when Kaiden said his name again.

"Garrus, what's happening?" Kaiden's Omni-tool lit up.

"Lieutenant." Garrus said to Kaiden through the communicative chatter. "Tell Neo, the calibrations are done and it's in solid working order. Tell him to come down here when he has gathered enough courage to come down here."

Neo could've sworn Garrus was laughing before he was cut off. Kaiden just looked at the agent for a minute, until he had the knew what to ask him. "So what's bothering you?"

"Nothing that you should be concerned about, Lieutenant." Neo said. "Just trying not to make the same mistake I made a couple of years back. It's obvious you heard from Vakarian and because of him the whole ship will think me and Chief Williams are an item. I'm just going to have to ride it out until my next assignment."

"Wait a minute?" Kaiden raised his hand up. "You're an intelligence agent for the Alliance. You risk your life every day. When I first met you on Eden Prime, you took out three geth soldiers attacking you. You did all those tasks without fear, but when you have the chance of landing a girl you freeze up. Why?"

"Because my life is not the typical life." Neo answered. "I don't have the desire or the luxury for that kind of life. I can't be with a girl like Ashley, because it's just too risky. She's the type of girl that pushes herself to a breaking point…to the point where she would get herself killed. I know, because I went down that road before." Then Neo thought to himself. _Except mine was more self-destructive._

"Someone you were close to?" Kaiden asked.

"Just that, it's been a while and I can't shake it off my mind." Neo said. "I won't go into details."

"Wait right here, I'll be right back." Kaiden stood up and walked over to his station. He digs through a drawer and puts something in his pocket. He walks back over to the table and he glances around to make sure nobody is watching while pulling out what looks like a silver whiskey flask. He takes his flask and pours a little bit of brown liquid into his coffee. He hides the flask underneath the table and looks at Neo. "This stuff is not just some rot gut whiskey. This is true Canadian Whiskey, distilled from home. I don't drink it much, because of regulations and I'm trying to stretch it out." Then he lifts the flask in a silent gesture if the agent wanted any.

"Why not." Neo lifts his mug of coffee and Kaiden pours a little into the hot beverage.

Before the two men could drink, Kaiden lifted his finger. "I'll play devil's advocate. Garrus did send me a message earlier. He told me, because he figured you would be up here and he told me that he heard everything."

"Everything?" Neo eyes began to widen.

"_Everything_." Kaiden smirked. "Turians have higher than usual hearing abilities and Garrus told me the story through my Omni-tool."

Neo was showing a look on his face suggesting that he's going down to the cargo hold, grab a knife, and scalp a certain turian's head fringe off his head.

Kaiden calmed the agent down. "Hold on a second, Neo. He only told me and I told him not to tell anyone else about what he knows about you. I just wanted to just say this piece and it might make you feel better."

"Alright, tell me." Neo just crossed his arms.

Kaiden looked at Neo. "I'm just saying that we all have a past. Unlike you, I wasn't spending my early teenage years in some virtual reality world created by the Matrix. Instead I was drafted by some corporation, because of my biotic abilities. I was taken away from my family at an early age, only to be crammed in with other biotic hopefuls. We were put in the care of a sociopath turian expert at a space station in the middle of nowhere called Jump Zero up until I was seventeen. In the end I end up killing that same turian for beating up a girl. I risked my own life trying to defend her and in the end I killed that turian. Then I had to endure the agonizing pain of chronic headaches for the first two years after my L2 implants were inserted into my brain."

"So why are you telling me this, Lieutenant?" Neo asked.

Kaiden responded. "I just wanted to let you know that my past has been squared away and I make it point not to hide it or be ashamed of it. Knowing that you have a past just tells me that you're human just like the rest of us."

Neo sat silently for a second and tilted his head to the side. "I guess it's also that I haven't worked with others in a long time, let alone a team." He takes his mug and lifts it to Kaiden. "To letting the past be the past."

"It is what it is." Kaiden said and the two men toasted using their mugs and took a small sip of their spiced up coffee.

Then Commander Shepard came walking by, wearing his armor and holding a mug of coffee of his own. He saw Neo and Kaiden sitting across one another and wanted to now what they were up to.

"Kaiden. Neo." Shepard greeted the two men.

Both Neo and Kaiden responded. "Commander."

Shepard caught the sight of the silver flask next to Kaiden. "That's not what I think it is?"

Kaiden realized that he left his flask out and realized that he had been caught. "Oh, this…"

Neo stepped in. "Actually, Commander. The Lieutenant confiscated this flask off a serviceman and was just figuring out a way to properly dispose of its contents." Neo raised his eyebrows.

"Well, it would be a shame to waste it." Shepard just smirked and placed his mug of coffee on the table and Kaiden just poured some of the whiskey into Shepard's coffee.

"To stopping Saren." Kaiden lifted his mug.

Neo looked at Shepard with a coy smile. "To you and Dr. T'Soni."

Shepard looked back at the agent and replied with his own coy smile. "To you and Chief Williams." Neo's smile faded and Shepard headed for the medical bay, no doubt going to visit Liara.

Neo just froze and looked at Kaiden. Kaiden just raised his hands. "I didn't say anything about you and the Chief."

Neo just looked away from the biotic and quickly gulped down the rest of his liquor induced coffee, bearing through the heat of the coffee. He took a deep breath and activated his Omni-tool, sending a message to Shepard for a request to come along the next mission. After he finished typing his message, he headed towards the elevator and swallowed his breath for courage.

* * *

Feros was a colony located in the Attican Beta nebula, inside the Theseus system. A colony founded by the ExoGeni Corporation. Feros was founded as a pilot colony to explore the Prothean ruins that blanket two thirds of the planet's land mass. Much the visible Prothean ruins were skyscrapers that were tall enough to rise above the clouds, because the clouds below trapped the dust and debris that littered the planet's lower atmosphere which made traveling to explore the planet's surface was impossible.

Some of the structures built by the Protheans looked as if the work had been incomplete, showing signs of exposed scaffolding on the top of certain buildings. It kind of gave the impression that the Protheans disappeared while in the middle of a construction project.

It also struck Shepard that it seemed dangerous or just plain reckless to create a colony literally on the foundation of ancient alien ruins. Shepard thought to himself. _There is no telling what could happen. What if the building's foundation weakens? What if they unleash some ancient security drone? What if they discover some disease that unleash __an epidemic?_ Something did happen and that's why they are here. The geth have attacked this colony for some reason and it was up to Shepard to get to the bottom of this.

However, bottom wasn't going to be the word. The colony was founded on the top of a completed building. There was docking bay on the side of the structure that was large enough for the Normandy to enter, but no one on board could tell if it was built by the Protheans or carved by the ExoGeni founders.

Shepard, Neo, Wrex, and Kaiden enter the port with their weapons drawn. They didn't know what was going to greet the four men. Their suspicions have put to rest when a man was waiting for them at the end of a long walkway.

They approached the man and when they got a closer look at him, his clothes have been worn thin, his face was covered in smudge, and his eyes have the look of someone who have seen too many people close to him die.

The man held up his hand. "We saw your ship. Fai Dan wants to talk to you immediately."

"Who's Fai Dan?" Shepard asked.

"He's our leader." The man said. "He needs your help to prepare for the geth. They're making another push. Please. Up the stairs and past the freighter."

Before the man could escort the four to their main base, a stream of red energy flew from the other side of the walkway. The beam hit the man and his body became nothing but charred flesh. Shepard looked to the side and realized that it was the geth.

Their weapons drawn, Shepard and his company fired through the walkway, taking out whatever geth soldiers were in their way. It wasn't easy since some of the geth were using a shielding that would project a wall of energy that would give cover to the geth.

After the geth on the walkway was disposed of, they approached the doorway and Neo pulled out his Arc Rifle.

"Neo." Shepard quietly said to Neo. "Are you going to use that new rifle of yours?"

"Yeah." Neo whispered while charging up the rifle. "I can't just fire it yet. I have to configure the room size. I also have to make sure there is nothing but geth in the area to prevent collateral damage. I just need two minutes."

"Hold here." Shepard told Kaiden and Wrex. Neo slowly peeked his head around the corner and found a lizard-like geth clinging on the ceilings of a stairwell.

He pulls his head back and talks to Shepard. "How are your sniping skills?"

"I'd say above average." Shepard humbly replied.

"Okay." Neo looked at the rifle in his hand. "This stairwell requires surgical procedure when firing this rifle. There is one of those lizard-like geth clinging on the ceiling around the corner. Now, I'm going to let you take the shot."

"Alright." Shepard agreed. "What do I do?"

Neo handed the rifle over to Shepard. "We wait till this rifle is fully charged and then I need for you to sneak in and take out that one geth. Now when you pull the trigger, a steady electrical flow will fire from this rifle and it will take out that geth. However, I have changed the setting. On this precise setting, the electrical stream will continue and hit the next geth in the area. The stream will keep going until there is nothing within twenty feet to connect the bolt with." He looks at the scanner on his Omni-tool and says. "Okay, colonists are out of range."

Shepard got on his belly and crawled into the stairwell. He gazed up and saw one of the geth clinging on the ceiling. He raised the Arc Rifle up and squeezed the trigger. The kickback was strong when a blue electrical bolt erupted out of the barrel's rifle.

The stream of lightning flowed so quickly through the air and connected to its target. The geth short circuited and exploded. Then the stream continued on towards another geth standing guard on the stairs, only to short circuited and explode. Like the toppling of dominoes the geth around the stairwell were falling as the stream of lightning finally connected to two last geth units. After they explode, the stream of lightning dissolves into the air.

Neo looked at his scanner and nods. "They're no longer on the stairwell. We're in the clear."

Wrex looked at the rifle Shepard was holding. "That's one hell of a rifle, Neo. Could use something like that."

"You have no idea how that's scares me, Wrex." Neo responds while Shepard hands the rifle back to Neo. "I would have to say that your sniping skills was way above average, Shepard."

"Come on." Shepard said. "The rest of the colony is waiting for us."

As the group follows Shepard, Neo looked at the damage that was done and more importantly he was checking the structure of the stairwell. He wanted to make sure there was no damage to the structural integrity of this building, because he was now thinking. _Bringing a deadly weapon known to also weaken and damage infrastructure_ _on a building that is more that 50,000 years old? Now I must be crazy and being on board with Shepard's crew just adding to my problem._ Then he laughs to himself.


	22. Chapter 22

**CHAPTER 22**

The sign over the entrance of the colony said _Zhu's Hope. _The entrance to Zhu's Hope was either guarded by security officers or people who have never held a gun or a rifle in their lives. The mood of the colonist was downright on edge. When Shepard and his crew showed up, they didn't receive a warm welcome. The people, who are carrying the guns, guarding this colony, had the attitude of an animal that had been beaten too many times and biting anyone that comes close, even when that anyone offers, help.

Shepard would look at the guards and think to himself. _Can't blame them for being nervous. Some of these people probably never been trained to fight; now they're learning first-hand of the intensity of actual combat._ Then he saw some of the people laying on the ground either suffering from wounds or a casualty from previous assaults.

Shepard, Neo, Kaiden, and Wrex approached a human man and woman engaged in what sounded like intense planning, perhaps trying to figure the best way of maintaining defenses trying to make an escape into some form of shelter. As it turns out that the nervous man was the colony's leader, Fai Dan. He was talking to an exasperated woman named Arcelia Martinez. She was wearing a security uniform and holstering an assault rifle in her hand. Fai Dan was more pleased to see the Commander and his group as opposed to Arcelia's mood, since she was more upset with the long delay.

After learning that the water pipes were shut off, the food supply was running short, and the colony's generator needed a battery, the geth attempted to launch another attack on the colony. Shepard, Neo, Kaiden, and Wrex took the initiative and stormed the area where the geth were coming from.

They powered through numerous geth when Wrex asked Neo. "Hey, you could fire that lightning bolt rifle again!"

Neo shakes his head while unleashing a volley of gun fire at geth troopers. "Only when it's fully recharged! Give it one minute!"

Shepard led the group into what looked like a shelled-out courtyard. It resembled a courtyard, because of the open ceiling to allow sunlight into the crescent shaped room. It was from that open ceiling where a geth dropship was hovering overhead. This is where they were deploying their soldiers, making life for the colonists difficult. It was time to put an end to the geth's troop flow when Neo pulled out his Arc Rifle when the rifle was fully charged.

Neo took one knee to the floor and twisted a knob on the left. Then he flips a small square encasing next to the knob, revealing to be a scanning screen. He tells Shepard, Kaiden, and Wrex to stand behind him so the stream of lightning won't strike the three.

Neo squeezes the trigger and a jolt of electricity comes pouring out of the barrel, attacking the first geth soldier as the stream kept attaching to the others. The stream of electricity kept flowing until the target reached the geth dropship. The ship didn't explode, but the ship was consumed in the electrical pulse. The ship flew away, but it didn't get very far. It was an educated guess that the geth dropship lost its propulsion and crashed into the planet's polluted surface.

Kaiden just stared at the rifle. "Amazing, Neo. Is there anything those old toys of yours can't do?"

"Yeah." Neo looks at the rifle and quietly tells himself. "It can't erase the past."

Shepard, Neo, Kaiden, and Wrex pushed through the corridors of the colony's maze of tunnels and empty room. They found more geth dug in these places and it would seem that they were intentionally cutting off the water supply to Zhu's Hope by shutting off the valves. It wasn't until after the group took care of the geth, they switched the valves back on. Shepard thought _At least the colonists won't die of thirst. Now finding them food and power is the next priority._

After the geth were taken care of, the squad encountered a man lurking around in the shadows of this alien maze. The man wasn't in the best of mental health, because he kept mentioning about _invoking the master's whip_ or _trying to fight was like moving through a thorn bush._ How the man managed to avoid the geth was beyond Shepard, but it was clear that the man needed professional help. Shepard decided to tell Fai Dan about him when they got back to the colony.

When they entered a large room, evidence showed that the room was once used as a garage when Shepard saw a damaged Mako burning in the corner. He drew his weapon out and signaled the other three to do the same. When he crept closer into the room, he heard what appeared to be the hint of growling. Behind him were an inclined rising of stairs, possibly a type of seating which reminded him of being in a stadium. On top of the stadium type seating was another damaged Mako and next to the damaged vehicle was a group of varren looking at the group.

The varren attacked, but they weren't any match for four armed soldiers. Shepard and his squad took care of the varren and when they checked out to see if there were any more to shoot around the damaged Mako. When they made a closer inspection, Shepard found the Mako's battery cell was still intact.

Shepard and the group stacked the varren bodies in a row and took the battery cell. They made the trek back to the main colony and the mood of the people was looking much better; especially when the water valves were turned back on, the varren were killed and their meat can be added to the food rations, and the battery cell could be improvised to power the generator again. Shepard told Fai Dan about clearing out the geth pockets, turning on the water valve, killing the varren, and finding the battery cell.

When Shepard mentioned the man in the tunnels, Fai Dan just mentioned that the man was _very troubled._ It was Fai Dan's eye and facial movements that made Neo a bit curious to what Fai Dan really meant.

When Shepard learned about geth activity and more trapped colonists across what the colonists called the 'Sky Highway', Shepard decided to check it out. That was when Neo decided to have a little word with Shepard.

"Shepard?" Neo pulled the commander away from the colony's leader and talked quietly. "Something isn't right. Fai Dan is showing some unusual signs that he's hiding something."

"What makes you say that?" Shepard asked.

"His body and facial language tells me that he's hiding something." Neo took a quick glance behind himself to make sure Fai Dan and Arcelia are still talking to Kaiden and Wrex. "I don't know what to say. Just call it a gut feeling or paranoia at its worst, but if we leave to find the other colony chances are that something's is going to happen and something bad."

Shepard took a quick glace to see Fai Dan, Arcelia, Kaiden, and Wrex are still talking. Then he looks at Neo. "I'll take you up on your suggestion. They don't seem too upset when we mentioned their missing colonist. Tell you what, Neo. I'll take Kaiden and Wrex to the other colony while you and rest of the squad protect this area from another geth attack." Then Shepard gave an instinctive nod to Neo and Neo just responds with his own nod. "I'm sure you'll know what to do when the time comes."

"Definitely, Commander." Neo responds.

* * *

Shepard, Kaiden, and Wrex took an elevator down to the main garage, where they were granted permission to take the last working Mako across the Sky Highway. Neo was left behind, but not before having Ashley, Garrus, Tali, and Liara help guard Zhu's Hope.

The Sky Highway was probably a road at one point during the reign of the Protheans, but now it looked more like a scene from a battle. Mainly due that there was geth and debris from the recent battle all over this highway. Shepard kept a steady hand on the wheel and the weapons turret, because one false move could either be blown up by some geth armature or driving this vehicle right off the road into a drop that's about ten thousand stories long.

As they approached the next Prothean structure, they could see the tracer rounds emitting from the many floors of the building. Colonists armed with heavy machine guns shooting at the geth on the ground and one large ship approaching. The ship was larger than the dropships they have encountered earlier. The ship looked like a large silver hornet without the wings. The sight of that image made Shepard pick up the speed.

When Shepard came closer to the structure, he heard radio chatter. The chatter was acknowledging the Mako approach and Shepard figured that there must be people trapped inside like the colony behind them.

They entered the structure and the radio communications got stronger as the female voice on the other end said. "We've got movement…some kind of vehicle. Not one of the geth." Kaiden managed to get a trace on the radio signal and stopped the Mako next to what appeared to be a sublevel ramp. Shepard, Kaiden, and Wrex got out of the Mako and walked down the ramp. They can see light coming from the other end and he can hear the sound of people talking.

As Shepard's group approached closer, they can see men and women heavily armed and hiding behind makeshift barricades. The guards allowed them through and the trio was approached by another man, who quite possibly is their leader.

"That's close enough." The man said.

"Relax, Jeong." A middle aged woman came beside the man now known as Jeong. "They're obviously not geth."

"Get back, Juliana." Jeong turned his head, giving Shepard enough glance to see the Matrix node in the back of Jeong's head. He was a podborn. Then he turns his head back at Shepard. "Who are you? What do you want?"

Shepard wanted to strangle this guy already, but he just calmly said. "Commander Shepard. I'm here to remove your geth problem."

"You see?" Juliana smirked at Jeong. "You worry too much."

"And you trust too easily, Juliana." Jeong snarled back at the woman.

Jeong and Juliana talked to Shepard and explained to him about the geth situation, the people at Zhu's Hope, leaving agent Neo and the rest of the squad behind, and Jeong was ranting on about the next structure over was property of ExoGeni despite the geth attacks.

Then Juliana looked at Shepard with widened eyes. "Commander, before you go…my daughter, Lizbeth. She's missing."

"They shouldn't waste time poking around." Jeong said. "We can do a proper accounting of our casualties after the geth are gone."

Juliana snapped back at Jeong. "That's my daughter you're talking about! She's alive! I know it!"

"Where is your daughter, Juliana?" Shepard asked.

"She was working in the ExoGeni building when the attacks came." Juliana explained.

Jeong added with his pathetic attempt at sarcasm. "Oh yeah. There are several places she could hide. For a short time."

Shepard would look at Jeong and realize that this is the type of man who would embrace the ideology of free enterprise…_profit at any cost._ This is obviously the type of person who would create a colony on top of the ruins of an extinct alien species with no regards to risk of human life and treat people like obstacles to the path of personal greatness. Shepard would rather comfort the woman in distress than get into an argument about ethics. "If she's in there, I'll get her out."

When Juliana was relieved to hear his words, she just praised the commander.

When Shepard got all the information he needed, he went back to the Mako. When he sat back down in the driver's seat he tried to radio in to Neo, but he kept getting static noise.

* * *

Neo was perched on the roof of one of the pre-fabricated structures and watching the colonist of Zhu's Hope. Tali, Garrus, and Liara were helping with security, but Neo couldn't find Ashley anywhere for some reason. He was wondering where she could be and cursing to himself that he shouldn't be so hung up on a fellow team member.

Neo was sitting down with his legs crossed and his assault rifle in his lap. He monitored the people as they were doing their jobs keeping the place safe from geth activity. It was coming to a point where his monitoring was putting him in a trance, but the trance was interrupted by the sound of another woman.

"Agent Neo?" The voice came from Ashley as Neo turned his head around and saw the Chief climbing up a ladder. Neo just nodded, but didn't give much notice to the woman as he tried his best not to. He remembered that the last time he was with her; they were both reciting a famous poem from Walt Whitman which almost ended with a kiss. He tried not to think about that moment, because the idea of being with another woman would make him feel like he was cheating, despite the fact that his girlfriend was dead.

Neo kept his eyes on the courtyard, but having Ashley up on the roof with him might hamper his full abilities. "What can I do for you, Chief Williams?"

Ashley walked towards the agent and sat next to him while she was clutching her assault rifle. "Look, I just want to talk."

"I don't think now is the appropriate time, Chief." Neo said as he avoided eye contact with her.

"I think now is the best time and let's drop rank for a minute." Ashley tried to remedy the situation. "We need to talk about what happened."

Neo just shook his head and he was thinking of a thousand different ways to tell her to 'get lost', but some form of reason told him not to. He replied to Ashley while keeping an eye on the colonist. "Yes, but I just want to let you know that what I did was a mistake. I just want to say that I want to keep our relationship on a professional level."

Ashley just looked at Neo. "Don't do that. Don't brush it off like that."

"What do you mean?" Neo said.

"I mean that you don't tell a girl the story of your life and expect that girl to take it casually." Ashley said. "Don't tell a girl that you know the works of Whitman and pretend that it's nothing."

"Damn it, Williams." Neo lowered his head. "I can't…I won't. I know that you have more feelings for Shepard than me. If I were to act upon it, I'll just be picking up the pieces when Shepard picked the blue girl instead of you."

Under normal circumstances, any girl would just fold up and leave. However, Ashley didn't budge. "You know talking to me like that will earn you a quick trip to the infirmary on a normal day, but today is not that day. Have you considered that maybe I'm a big girl and I can handle rejection? Did you also consider that maybe I have gotten over the commander and looking for someone else."

"Stop." Neo said looking at Ashley.

"Look, I don't want to tell you how to handle this, but…" Ashley was cut off.

"No, I mean stop and look." Neo quietly said as he pointed to a crevasse between the wall and floor. Someone or something was crawling out.

"What is it?" Ashley said pointing her rifle at what appeared to be some strange humanoid.

"I don't know." Neo studied the appearance of the creature. It had the appearance of a husk, but there were no cables or neon blue lights coming from the body. The first thing he noticed was the skin. It looked as if it was melting off and the pigmentation of the skin color was a grayish brown. It looked like a creature from some horror vid.

Neo and Ashley got off of the roof and ran to a barricade. When Neo ordered people to get away from the creature, more creatures came out of the crevasse. Then Garrus, Tali, and Liara stood behind Neo and Ashley with their weapons drawn out.

"Get away from those things!" Neo yelled at Fai Dan and Arcelia getting uncomfortably close to one of the monsters.

That was then the two leaders just stared at the creature in some odd trance, then the two leaders and some of the colonists did something that took Neo by surprise. They just turned and stared at Neo, Ashley, Garrus, Tali, and Liara with their weapons drawn out.

"Neo." Garrus said. "I think we should find some cover."

"I agree." Ashley agreed. "I think the loonies have taken over the asylum."

Without argument, Neo and the group made a mad dash for the Normandy while the monsters and the apparently controlled colonists chased after them.


	23. Chapter 23

**CHAPTER 23**

Shepard, Kaiden, and Wrex kept driving down the Sky Highway inside the colony's Mako when they saw the large geth ship attaching itself to the side of the Prothean structure, now converted into an ExoGeni office building. The ship that looked eerily similar to a flying insect and like an insect the ship was latched on to the side of the building.

What are the geth up to? Shepard thought to himself as they cleared out another pocket of geth armatures and rocket soldiers on the road, blocking their way to the ExoGeni garage. Once they were inside, they scavenged for clues and possibly geth activity inside the shelled out building. Shepard didn't know whether the poor condition was due to the age of the structure or that evidence showed that there was a firefight was present here days ago.

While Shepard turned around a corner, he was greeted with gunfire. The group instinctively drew their weapons out, but stopped when the gunman was not geth nor was a man. The one shooting at them was a woman. The woman looked like a younger version of Juliana. That was when Shepard realized that this woman was Juliana's daughter, Lizbeth.

"Oh, my god!" The woman said placing her hand over her mouth. "I'm sorry. I thought you were the geth!"

"It's alright." Shepard said. "I'm Commander Shepard of the Normandy."

Lizbeth talked about how she survived by hunting the varren and hiding from the geth, but then she mentioned about her research into a creature that is native to this planet called a Thorian.

Lizbeth continued talking to the three men. "You can gather the information you need upstairs on the V.I. console. I have a card you can use…wait? Are any of you podborns?" She looked at Shepard and Kaiden.

"I am." Shepard just plainly answered.

"This will make it easier." She pulls out a small black cylinder. "I'm a podborn too and this tool will help you gain access to what you need to know from the V.I. upstairs. I'm already linked in, but the V.I. will think you're me so don't get confused when it mistakes you for me." She hands the cylinder to Shepard.

"This will come in handy." Shepard said. "I have already cleared out some pockets already, why don't you wait by the Mako and we'll take you back to your mother when we find what we're looking for."

"I'll do that." Lizbeth said as she walked away.

Shepard, Kaiden, and Wrex rounded a corner and found a flight of stairs. As they climbed to the top, the three can hear the grumblings of a krogan shouting.

"Stupid machine! Access encrypted files!" The voice yelled as Shepard moved closer.

The other voice sounds more like a computer responding to the angry krogan. "I am unable to respond. Please contact your supervisor."

When Shepard came to the top of the stairs, he found himself in a passage way and he could see a large krogan standing in front of an orange holographic image of a human. The krogan was trying to access information from the V.I.'s console without any luck. If Ashley were present, no doubt she would have made some quick joke about _krogan __using technology_ and comparing them to _cavemen_ or _early human primates_.

"Damn it! Tell me what I want or I'll blast your virtual ass into actual dust!" The krogan demanded.

The V.I. was not being compliant enough to the krogan when it responded. "Please contact your supervisor for a Level 4 security exemption or make an appointment with…"

"Stupid machine!" The krogan yelled again.

Then the V.I. hologram said something that made Shepard want to shot that V.I. "If there's nothing else, please step aside. There is a queue forming behind you for the use of this console."

The krogan turned around to see Shepard, Kaiden, and Wrex standing right behind him. The krogan drew out his shotgun as Shepard knew this krogan was working for Saren. The armor he was wearing was a reward from the Migrant Fleet and it inspired him with a thought. "Nice armor. Was it a gift from the quarians after you fought the battle of Torfan?"

"Yeah, how'd you know that?" The krogan lowered his shotgun.

"Well, we were both there." Shepard also pointed at Wrex.

"Who are you two?" The krogan asked.

"I'm Commander Shepard and this is Urdnot Wrex." Shepard said.

The krogan looked at the two and smiled. "Oh, my former battlemasters from Torfan." The krogan put his shotgun away and cracked his knuckles. "I'm going to enjoy this!"

The krogan charged at the two men and yelled an ear deafening roar. The krogan's charge was stopped when Kaiden launched a biotic attack against the large brute and the krogan was levitating in a blue encased orb. Shepard and Wrex unleashed a fury of gun fire into the krogan's body. The biotics field was then dropped and the krogan fell to the floor.

"Thanks for the assist Lieutenant." Shepard said. "He didn't respond the way I hoped he did."

"Not a problem, Commander." Kaiden said.

"Take this down for future reference, Shepard." Wrex said rather annoyed. "Not all krogan will not bow down and give praise just because they served with you in past battles."

"Can't blame the commander for trying, Wrex." Kaiden defended Shepard. "I was hoping to see if lightning strike twice like back on Therum."

Wrex looked at the krogan's body. He remembered hearing about the krogan trying to take Liara T'Soni, then breaking down in a fit of rage and confusion when the warrior realized that he was under the spell of Saren. "Then again, this fool thought it would be a chance to gain glory if he could kill two of his former battlemasters. However, he rushed in on pure blood rage... no plan of attack." Then he kicks the body. "Works for me."

* * *

**SYSTEMS ALLIANCE INTELLIGENCE AGENCY**

**LISTENING POST**

**LOCATION: CLASSIFIED**

The Systems Alliance Intelligence had one small circular building resting on the top of massive plateau. Next to the building was fifty foot tall post with a hexagonal structure on the very top. If one was to see the outside, it would look nothing more than a simple research outpost in the middle of nowhere, but only the people who worked inside knew most of the building's structure was tunneled inside the plateau with a intertwined maze of offices.

Inside one of those bland grey colored offices was the heart of the building's operation. This was the building's listening center. Not what it used to be back in the days of men sitting in front of a control panel, wearing headphones, and writing down what signals have been recorded. This room's specialty was seating twelve podborn humans attached themselves to sophisticated program.

Watching the men and women in their slumber state was the operators that observed and monitored their movements and health.

Inside the program was the same men and women sitting in front of glass-like computer screens and watching anything that might become of interest to certain members of the Agency.

One man got a hit on his screen and instantly typed up a report. He then proceeded to make contact with a specific agent.

When a face appeared over the screen, the listener responded. "Agent Morpheus. I have found some information you were looking for."

"What do you have?" Morpheus asked.

"This radio chatter was picked up from the salarian homeworld of Sur'Kesh to the Citadel." The listener said. "The signal came from the Special Tasks Group. They were investigating a massive facility on the planet Virmire where rouge Spectre agent Saren Arterius have been seen on location. There was also mention of losing contact with the STG squad that was investigating the site."

"This is something to look into." Morpheus said.

"We have also acquired other sources of information and pieced together what this facility could be housing." The listener said. "We have filled out the report and it will be sent to you right now." The listener said as he clicked 'enter'.

Morpheus looked over to the side and nods in approval. "I just got the message. Be sure Agent Neo receives a copy as well."

The listener complied with Agent Morpheus's order, but the listener made a puzzled look. "A message has been sent, but so far nothing has been confirmed by Agent Neo. According to this service terminal, communications to Agent Neo is being interrupted."

Morpheus showed a look of concern. "I hope this is something not too much for Neo to handle."

* * *

Neo pulled out a mirror attached to a handle. He slightly raised the mirror from his hiding spot and using the mirror, he can see the crowds of people trying to muscle their way into the Normandy. They were banging with their fists and whatever foreign objects the colonists of Zhu's Hope could get their hands on.

Neo was hiding behind concrete barricades with Ashley, Garrus, Tali, and Liara. Neo looks at Garrus. "Did you get a hold of Shepard?"

Garrus just nods. "No. I can't even get a hold of Joker and he's just right around the corner."

"Poor Joker." Neo said. "Must be going nuts right now. He's must be picturing angry mob of villagers with armed with pitchforks and torches trying to get in."

"Well something's jamming our signal." Ashley said. "We're on our own right now. We can't just sit back here, we have to do something."

Neo took another peek around the corner and noticed that the only people right outside the Normandy was the zombified colonists. There was no sight of the strange humanoid creatures anywhere. Then he notice the metal ladder next to the besieged group. Neo used stealth to avoid detection from the people trying to get into the Normandy. Neo climbed down the ladder and disappeared for a minute. Then he came back up and waved his hand over to the rest of the squad.

One at a time, the group took turns climbing down the ladder. The ladder was access to a catwalk that followed along metal tubing, which ran along the main pathway above them. The group led by Neo was now walking into a tunnel, which looked like it had been bored out recently by the ExoGeni workers. They crept carefully through the tunnel when they realized that they were underneath Zhu's Hope. When they saw light, they realized that they were underneath one of the crevices where those bizarre humanoids were coming from.

Neo pulled out his mirror again to see what was above their heads. It was the bizarre creatures just wondering around the courtyard. He put his mirror away and he pulled out his Arc Rifle and used the ridges of the walls to climb up towards the crevice.

"Guys? Hit the floor." Neo ordered quietly and everyone laid down flat on their bellies. When everyone is on the floor, Neo sticks the Arc Rifle above his head and through the crevice. When the rifle is exposed to the open, he squeezes the trigger.

After the jolt of electricity is emitted out of the rifle, Neo jumps down from his perch and shares the floor with the rest of the squad. Overhead they can hear the rumblings of what sounded like water balloons popping and rushing water falling to the floor.

When the noise stopped, the group got up. Neo, Ashley, Garrus, Tali, and Liara climbed up the wall and they peeked over the crevice. When they climbed out, the courtyard was covered in a thick ooze of green and brown puddles. They looked around and realized that they have taken care of the humanoid creatures, but they still needed to take care of the brainwashed colonists. Neo looked at the prefab structure and he got another idea what to do.

"Okay, I know what to do with the colonists." Neo said with a big grin.

* * *

Neo crawled back towards the Normandy. He could see the brainwashed colonists kept trying to get inside the Normandy, but what they did was fruitless and amounted to nothing.

Then Neo popped out of his hiding spot. His armor was off and only wearing his shirt and pants. The only weapon he had was his sidearm pistol. He shouts at the mob of colonists while shooting his gun in the air. "Hey, assholes!" The people turned and looked at the agent trying to get their attention. "Your colony sucks krogan balls!" He yelled as he kept firing his gun in the air with one hand and showing the people his middle finger with the other.

The mob shouted and turned towards the agent. Neo ran down the hallway with the angry mob in hot pursuit. Neo was fast, especially since he took his gear off and ran with as little as possible on him. Then as he entered through the doorway of Zhu's Hope and he kept running until he stopped at the entrance of the prefabricated building. He turned around and looked at the mob of brainwashed colonists following him. At the entrance of the building, Neo bent over and slapped his butt at the people. Then gun fire erupted and he stood up and ran inside the building.

Neo exited out the other side of the building and when Neo rushed out of the building, Garrus closed the door behind him.

When the last colonist was inside the building while attempting to chase after Neo, Liara snuck around the corner and put up a biotic warp behind the last few colonists entering the building. Then Liara shut the door.

Ashley saw what Liara and Garrus did, then she saw Tali and yelled. "Tali! Now!"

Tali was on top of the building and she activated her Omni-tool. All the green lights from the doors turned red.

Neo looked behind him while he was catching his breath. He realized that the colonists were inside the prefabricated building, trapped inside.

"Hey… it… worked." Neo said while panting. He looked over at Ashley, Liara, Tali, and then to Garrus. Neo lifted his hand over his head, touching the tip of his thumb with the tip of his index finger making the 'O.K.' symbol with his hand. "You guys are all aces. Speaking of aces, anyone have a deck of cards?"

* * *

Shepard, Kaiden, and Wrex returned to Zhu's Hope, with their weapons drawn. Shepard had a special gas grenade that will knock out any of the infected colonists that is under the influence of the Thorian creature. He had just learned that the creature Lizbeth was studying was not at the ExoGeni lab, but underneath the colony of Zhu's Hope itself and the colonists were the lab rats.

Juliana was working on concoction in the form of a gas grenade. She had been working on making one since the Thorian creature was involved. Shepard kept what she simply dubbed as _Anti-Thorian Gas Grenades_ ready.

When Shepard entered through the thresh hold of the colony, there was nobody around. Instead, there were five people sitting on top of the prefabricated building. It was Neo, Ashley, Garrus, Tali, and Liara sitting in a circle and it looked like they were playing cards.

"Hey, Shep!" Neo waved. "You missed one helluva party!"

With a sharp hint of concern, Shepard was looking for the people. "Where are the colonist?"

Neo stood up and gestured Shepard to come up on top of the building. Shepard climbed up the ladder and met Neo next to a small vent shaft. Neo lifted the grate and Shepard could hear the people growling and yelling.

Shepard just smirked at the agent. "Nice. No doubt you have some questions, but right now we have to handle this problem." He pulls out a couple of disc-shaped grenades and gives the grenades to Neo. "One of the people from the other colony had developed these gas grenades. It's suppose to neutralize the effects of what these people are under. Just activate it like a grenade and drop it in. Use that vent shaft over there and I'll use this one."

"Alright then." Neo complied and walked over to the other vent shaft.

Shepard counted backwards. "3... 2... 1." Then the two men dropped the gas grenades into the shaft and now the colonists were now in an enclosed area with the gas/cure.

They all waited a few minutes until they felt confident the gas has run its course. Tali activated her Omni-tool and the doors of the building opened up. Green mist was pouring out of the doorways and when the mist was gone, they look inside to see the once dangerous colonists were now passed out on the floor. The colonists were passed out, but hopefully they were not under the influence of the Thorian. Juliana said that the effects of the gas will keep them unconscious until the Thorian has been stopped.

Shepard went over to a control panel and one section of the prefabricated building lifted to reveal stairs. As they were walking down the stairs, Neo told what had happened. Then Shepard told Neo about the Thorian underneath the colony and telling him about the possessive nature of the creature and the humanoid monsters that came with it. Apparently the colonists called those creatures, _Thorian Creepers_.

Shepard, Neo, Kaiden, and Wrex were walking down the stairs while Garrus, Ashley, Tali, and Liara were tending to the needs of the colonists.

Shepard, Neo, Kaiden, and Wrex walked through what looked like a maze. It reminded Shepard about the Greek story of the Minotaur in the maze. Technically they were looking for some odd creature, but hoping they wouldn't find a creature that is half-man and half-bull.

When they slowly approached where the Thorian was located, Wrex could've sworn that he saw _tentacles_.

When Shepard approachedthe odd looking object, Kaiden just kept talking about what to expect. "Okay, by the numbers. We need to find… to find…" Then the group was lost for words, because they didn't know what they were looking at. "What is… that?"

What ever this thing was it was large. It looked like the bulb of a plant and it was suspending itself using roots attach itself to the many level of corridors. It was in the color of tanned brown and slightly off with a green tint. It had a triangular face and tentacles coming out where its mouth would be.

Shepard looked up at what must be the Thorian. "That does not look like any plant I've ever seen. This may be… problematic."

Shepard and Neo slowly approached the creature. When they got a closer look at its mouth, the tentacles looked eerily like octopus tentacles, attached with its suction cups on the inside of the tentacles. Unlike an octopus, it only had five tentacles and the mouth kept dripping some thick secretion. Then something came out of the Thorian's mouth.

It looked like feet and a full body came out of the creature's maw. Then the full body came into view. The picture was clear that this creature regurgitated an asari, but the only difference about this asari was her skin tone. It wasn't blue, light blue, or violet. This asari's skin tone was… green. She wasn't naked either, she was wearing a full body suit what appeared to be a piece of armor specifically designed to enhance biotic abilities.

The asari stood before the four men and she scowled at them. "Invaders. Your every step is a transgression. A thousand feelers appraise you as meat, good only to dig or decompose. I speak for the Old Growth, as I did for Saren. You are within and before the Thorian. It commands that you be in awe."

Shepard responds. "You gave something to Saren. Something I need."

"Saren sought knowledge of these who are gone." The entranced asari said. "The Old Growth listened to flesh for the first time in the long cycle. Trades were made. Then cold ones began killing the flesh that would tend to the next cycle. Flesh fairly given! The Old Growth see the air you push as lies. It will listen no more." The asari narrowed her gaze at Shepard and Neo. "You two are not natural. There is something in your flesh. It is cold. Some of my thralls are like your flesh. They are cold and ask for unnatural functions."

Shepard realized that he was the Thorian's way of describing podborns. Shepard shrugged what the asari said and continued with his line of questioning. "I won't let you keep your thralls. Release them now!"

"No more will the Thorian listen to those that scurry." The asari said. "Your lives are short, but gone on too long. Your blood will feed the ground with a new growth!" The asari pulls out a shotgun and start to shoot.

Shepard, Neo, Kaiden, and Wrex all pull out their weapons. The green asari kept shooting, but she was immediately gunned down. What they didn't know was a few lumps resting on the ground stood up. Neo knew what they were and it would appear that Shepard have ran across a few himself. The humanoid creatures Neo had eradicated earlier now had the name Thorian Creepers. Creepers came pouring out from the pits and bowels of the area. The four warriors just unleashed a volley of endless fury on the creatures until they were nothing but a pulpy mass of green slush.

As the Creepers were gone, Shepard took a look at the situation. Then Kaiden called to something of interest. "Here, Commander! There's a… node… or something. Worth looking at?" Kaiden was checking out what looked like the plant's root and it was attached firmly on the side of the ancient wall. It had a yellow and slight reddish color and it was pulsing.

"Yeah!" Wrex added. "Actually, something the Arc Rifle can be used for."

Neo was being hounded by the Arc Rifle again by Wrex and Neo was finding it annoying. "Wrex, that skin is too thick and lightning will only glide off the surface of that creature. It won't work. You're a krogan! What do you know about electricity?!"

Wrex surprisingly kept a cool head, a rather rare trait for a krogan. Shepard was expecting Wrex to tear Neo to pieces, but Wrex walked over to the side of the wall. There were piles of metal pipes. Wrex grabbed one of the pipes and instead of using it to beat Neo, he throws the pipe at the Thorian's node like a spear. The metal pipe is firmly attached to the node and they can hear the painful shriek of the Thorian.

Wrex looks at Neo. "If it's thick on the outside, then it must be soft on the inside. The metal pole will act as a conductor and the electrical pulse will travel inside the Thorian's body, frying it on the inside."

Neo jaw just dropped when he realized that he had been out thought by a krogan. Shepard and Kaiden just smiled and shook their heads.

Neo just calmly pulls out his rifle and proceed to fire at the metal point which is stuck in the Thorian's node. "Alright, get back."

When Neo was about to squeeze the trigger, he felt a knock to the ground. He didn't realize that he was attacked by biotic blast. The group turned to see who fired that shot, they realized that it was another green skinned asari. Then they realized that this asari was the same asari as before. Following her was a rather large group of Creepers coming after the four.

Shepard and Kaiden held back the asari and her Creeper army, Wrex tried to help Neo back up. Neo looked at Wrex, but instead of giving him his hand he gave Wrex his Arc Rifle. Neo nodded to Wrex as if he was saying with his eyes to finish the job. Wrex pick up the Arc Rifle and aimed at the metal post.

Lightning bellowed out of the barrel and reached its target. The metal post absorbed the jolt of electricity and suddenly something happened. The Thorian was shaking violently, so violently that the building's foundations was shaking terribly. The Creepers were collapsing on the floor as the asari fell as well. The Thorian was pulsing erratically until something just happened… the Thorian lost control of its nodes and Thorian fell to the empty void below.

Shepard helped Neo up and Neo just shook his head, holding on to his belly. Then he saw Wrex. "Thanks big guy."

"Handy weapon, Neo." Wrex said looking at it one last time before handing it back to the agent.

While the four were checking out the damage they did, they were approached by another asari. They jerked back when they saw her approaching. The asari looked like the one that was trying to kill them earlier, but her skin tone was a violet-blue. She had the look of being grateful, because she explained that she was the Thorian's prisoner and once a follower of Matriarch Benezia. She told him that her name was Shiala and she was given to the Thorian as a tool and used to make green cloned versions of herself. Then she gave the vital information Shepard needed, the exact directions to Ilos. When she was asked what her next plans were to do, Shiala said that she will help rebuild Zhu's Hope.

* * *

Shepard and Neo were the last two ready to leave. The rest of the ground team was back on board the Normandy. Fai Dan was grateful for the help and so was Juliana and Lizbeth who were also there to wish them farewell. After shaking hands and receiving thanks from each colonist, Neo was stopped by the head of security.

"Arcelia Martinez." Neo said.

"Agent Neo, thank you for your help." Arcelia said. "I was part of that group that was under the influence of that Thorian. You know, attacking the Normandy?"

"I know, but I see you're doing well." Neo said.

"I also would like to let you know that even though I was under the influence, I was well aware what was going on around me." Then she looked dead serious at the agent. "You said that _our colony sucked krogan balls_."

Neo just smirked while Shepard frowned. "I was trying to get you all to follow me into the trap I set up. It was nothing personal."

"Just remember that next time you help save a colony, keep the insults to a minimum." Arcelia nudged Neo on the arm and walked away.

Shepard and Neo came back on board the Normandy, while Neo was checking out his past messages on his Omni-tool. It turns out he got a message that read 'URGENT DISCOUNT SALE'. Neo knew that was a coded message sent from the Agency.

When the two men came back on board, Neo went straight to the ship's restroom. Neo wanders into the stall for a little more privacy. He activates the urgent message and the message looked like and advertisement for furniture around the home. Then Neo activated a scrambler and the message was picking appart letters from the advertisement.

When the letters were placed together, he read the message and felt a chill run up the back of his spine when he was done reading. Neo thought _Shepard is going to need to see this after our debriefing._

* * *

_**A/N:**_ _My full apologies from the last post of my story. I just been writting this chapter for **nine hours straight** and I was amped on coffee. I didn't go to sleep until 2:00 AM and it wasn't until the morning I realized that I posted a sencond draft of this chapter... not the finished one. I just read over this last chapter this morning and realized my error when I saw the words "I love krogan balls on my face." Then I facepalmed myself and almost screamed. Some might find it funny and I apologize to those who did, but I didn't intend to have that draft to be Chapter 23. This is the corrected one._


	24. Chapter 24

**CHAPTER 24**

The group gathered in the comm room to discuss the past mission on Feros. Shepard was a bit anxious to tell his team that they had a new path to take. They now know Saren is trying to find Ilos, he was using the Mu Relay, and now they know which co-ordinates to use on finding Ilos.

Everyone seemed happy with the news, but Neo wasn't smiling. He knew the next major mission had to be on Virmire.

When the meeting was dismissed, Joker patched a communications channel to the Council. Neo didn't want to wait and find out what the Council has to say to Shepard, so he quickly hid behind one of the seats when Shepard wasn't looking and he tried to remain perfectly still.

The holographic images the three Councilmen stood before Shepard awaiting a report.

Lady Trevos was the first to speak. "ExoGeni should have told us about the Thorian. It would have made your job much easier."

"You might have been able to capture it for study instead of destroying it." Valern said.

Shepard didn't like what the salarian diplomat had said to him. _What! Valern you idiot._ Shepard thought and gathered his composure. "The Thorian like to enslave minds. Anyone who studied it became would've ended up becoming one of its thralls."

Trevos replied with an agreement with Shepard. "Perhaps its for the best. At least the colony was saved."

Sparatus responds with his trademark surly attitude. "Of course it was saved. Shepard would go to any lengths to rescue a human colony."

Shepard cocked his head back. "Being human had nothing to do with it. They were in trouble."

"Admirable." Valern said. "But sometimes Spectres have to make sacrifices. I hope you're willing to do that when the time comes."

"There is one more thing, Commander Shepard." Trevos lifted her hand. "We received information that may be critical to your mission against Saren."

"I take all the help I can take." Shepard responded.

"We received an urgent message from one of our infiltration regiments in the Traverse." Valern said.

"You mean spies?" Shepard responded.

"Spectres tend to attract attention, Commander." Trevos said. "But they are only one arm of the Council. Special Task Groups are often a better option for monitoring developing situations."

Valern explains to Shepard. "We currently have several infiltration units scattered throughout the border regions on Citadel space. This particular unit was gathering intel on Saren."

"What did we find?" Shepard asked.

Valern continued. "Unfortunately, the message we received was nothing more than static. The infiltration team must be in a situation where they cannot set up proper interstellar communications, but the message was sent on a channel that was reserved for mission critical communications. Whatever they were trying to tell us we know it was important. Considering your interest in Saren, we thought you might want to investigate… find out what happened to our team. The signal originated from the planet of Virmire."

"I'll look into it." Shepard responds.

Trevos finished by saying. "The Council prefers not to become involved in the specifics of Spectre activities. We only want you to be aware of all options, including Virmire. Good luck, Commander. We'll keep you advised when we learn anything else."

Shepard turned off the comm channel and turned around to find Agent Neo standing behind one of the chairs. Shepard saw the stealthy agent and realized that he has been eavesdropping on the entire conversation with the Council.

Shepard scowled at the agent. "Agent Neo! You heard that entire conversation didn't you? You better have a damn good reason for being here!"

Neo's facial response was that of concern. "Actually, I was anticipating the Council to tell you about the events on Virmire. Now that they have told you about it, I have something of importance to show you."

Neo activated his Omni-tool and a showed his message from the Agency. The message reads:

_Agent Neo,_

_A distress message has been sent from the Salarian Special Tasks Group (STG) and reports that STG is investigating a rouge science facility on the planet Virmire. Other sources have indicated that there is a 90% chance that this facility is a cloning facility. A cloning facility that is producing full grown krogan. It has been said that the rouge Spectre, Saren Arterius has been sighted on this facility. Please be aware and give necessary notice to Commander Shepard._

Shepard looked at Neo. "This can't be right."

"I'm afraid there's a high chance that it is, commander." Neo said. "That request from the Council for you to check it out only confirms that there's something big going on Virmire and what intel the Agency had discovered has just proven a high probability of a cloning facility."

"With an army of krogan, Saren would be unstoppable." Shepard said.

"That's just the problem up front." Neo said. "If Saren have the ability to clone a full grown krogan, it also means he must've found a way around the genophage… possibly a cure."

"A cure?" Shepard raised his right eyebrow. "How's is making a clone related to curing the genophage?"

Neo explains. "Well, you remember history class back in the Emergence Academy? Remember when scientists finally broke the human genome code back in the late 20th century? Well without the genome coded, cloning couldn't be achieved without a map of the DNA strand. Now take the krogan DNA. The genophage affects krogan birth rates down to the DNA. The genophage is encoded inside the genome which means that if you try to clone a krogan, the same ill effects would happen to the clone as naturally giving birth to a baby krogan while affected by the genophage… the clone dies at birth."

Shepard came to his own conclusion. "So now if Saren is able to clone full grown krogans without trouble it means that he found a cure to the genophage."

"That's right." Neo said. "Right now, I highly advise against telling anyone about this right now, Commander. Especially Wrex. There's no telling how he might react when he hears about what Saren has created."

"Yeah, that's true." Shepard thought for a moment. "The krogan aren't ready for the cure, but at the same time I don't like the idea of their people being subjugated to this artificial plague created by the salarians." Then Shepard remembered what the Oracle said to him about taking care of Wrex, because he was the key to the future of their species. "We should give Wrex some proper incentive. Last time I talked to him in the cargo hold, he told me of retrieving some old battle armor that belonged to his family. He said it was taken from his family during the Krogan Rebellions and now has been traced back to a turian arms dealer."

"Then I think we should help Wrex get his armor back before we go to Virmire." Neo suggested.

"We actually have to do a few more things in this part of the traverse before we go to Virmire." Shepard said. "First, I want to help Garrus out with a fugitive salarian doctor he had been tracking down. Second, while I was on Feros I came across some of ExoGeni's files and found out that some samples of the Thorian was taken to a remote science outpost. And third, I want to check out another outpost somewhere and I want to ask you about something?"

"What is it?" Neo asked.

"I came across another set of files mentioning of another type of agency you might know of." Shepard activates his Omni-tool. "They sent more bio samples of this Thorian from Feros and bio samples of the rachni from Noveria to another research outpost. Have you heard of a group called Cerberus?"

Neo froze in place as he felt another chill run up his spine. "I wish I haven't. Cerberus is technically a branch of service from the Alliance government, but they are more privately funded and tend to work outside the law. They operate on the level of black-ops and from what I hear they tend to take things a little too far even for my standards." Neo just shakes his head. "Well, enough of that for right now. Let's focus on how to get to those places, we can save time if we park the Normady, split up, and we can cover more ground if we handle Wrex and Garrus's problems at the same time. I'll help with Wrex since I own him for what he did back on Feros."

Shepard looks at Neo. "I can help with Garrus and when we finish our missions, we can come back to the Normandy. Then we'll find out about those outposts, but one thing I need to ask. Where are we going to dock the Normady? Do you have a plan?"

Neo thought for a moment, but then he activated his Omni-tool and looked at a galactic map. Then he said. "I know a place nearby."

* * *

The Omega Space Station was a notorious hub for criminals, pirates, slavers, and various scum from all over the galaxy. Once a major mining operation of extracting Element Zero from the asteroid's interior, now it was a place where criminal gather on this outlaw colony. Ships from the Alliance or anything from the other Citadel fleets were not welcomed with the high risk of death and destruction… and here they were going to dock the Normandy at this station.

When the Normandy docked, Shepard told everyone onboard that they were making an emergency stop to make critical repairs, because an Alliance ship isn't suppose to come to Omega since this place was on a _no docking_ list. Shepard also realized that it would be safer not to bring Alliance crewmembers on board the station, so Shepard decided to bring only Garrus and Wrex.

Neo was leading the three through the pathway. He stopped them when he wanted to talk to them about their situation. "Now since we are on this station, I thought I should let you know that we're going to meet someone if you want anything done. What we need to do is a place assurance that the Normandy will be safe here from the local gangs and warlords while we go retrieve Wrex's armor and Garrus's fugitive. Now I learned from channels that there is an asari who we must talk to so we can arrange that nobody messes with the Normandy or its crew while it stays on Omega."

"Wait a minute?" Wrex blurted in. "You don't mean you're going to talk to… her."

"Yes." Neo said while looking at Wrex and then to Shepard and Garrus. "Her name's Aria T'Loak. She pretty much runs Omega and it would be best if only Shepard and I talk to her while you two watch our backs."

Then a batarian approaches the four and stops to talk to them. "Aria wants to see you, now."

"Already?" Shepard nods.

"You're not as subtle as you think you are." The batarian said. "We have you pegged since you first arrived. Afterlife, now!"

After the surly batarian walks away, Neo looks at Shepard and nods in approval as they both know what to do.

When the four walked through the docking bay doors; Shepard, Neo, Garrus, and Wrex were wecomed with a pulsating stench what must be stale air and urine. Standing before them was a major platform with a large sign hanging above, the words _Afterlife_ was written in soft red letters. When they approached the front door, they found themselves bypassing a line and the bouncers checked the four in since their boss wanted to see them immedeately. When they entered, they were escorted by an armed turian and they were led through the drinking crowds while watching the asari strippers on stage. The guards took them to the main epicenter of the club which happened to be on top floor overlooking the club.

When they came to, they told Wrex and Garrus to stay at the bottom of the base while Shepard and Neo approached an asari wearing a skintight outfit with a jacket as her assembly.

"That's close enough." The asari said.

There were a series of armed batarian and turian guards drawing their weapons at the two men. Then one of the batarians, no doubt the same one who told them to meet this asari here, started scanning the Shepard and Neo.

"Standing before me are two agents." The asari said while looking down over her club. "One just becomes the first human Spectre and the other from the Alliance Agency." Then she turns around showing herself. "This place just got popular. What brings you two to my station?"

"I take it you're Aria." Shepard asked.

"That's right Commander Shepard." Then Aria looks at Neo. "Hello agent Neo."

"I don't recall ever meeting you before." Neo said.

"No, but I know this isn't your first trip to Omega either Agent Neo." Aria said as she sat down on the padded booth underneath her. "Word gets around here and eventually ends up on my lap."

The batarian finished his scan and said "They're clean."

Then Aria motions her head for the two to sit down and both Shepard and Neo do just that. "Now what brings you both here? You must have a damn fine reason for parking your Alliance vessel nearby."

"We need to make repairs to my ship and we can purchase parts here to help speed up our process." Shepard explained. "We were told that if we talk to you, it can be arranged that our ship will remain safe where it is docked."

"Well, you came to the right place." Aria said. "However, I need to know how long you plan to repair your ship."

"About less than a week or two." Shepard said.

"Alright." Aria said. "Now there is the matter of docking fee that might enable me to authorize protection status."

Shepard looks at Neo and both men activated their Omni-tools. Then Aria's Omni-tool lights up and she examines what had changed. Both men arranged a financial transaction from their collective budget to her personal account.

Aria looks at the amount that was given and she smiles. "Very generous of you both. Now I'll see to it that nobody messes with your ship or any member of your crew while you do what needs to be done, because everyone knows Omega's number one rule."

Neo looked up at the proud asari and say to her. "Nobody fucks with Aria?"

Aria's eyes narrowed while she grinned. "You are well informed. Well, will they'll be anything else?"

"No, we're done here." Shepard said while he stood up and walked back to rejoin with Wrex and Garrus.

Neo was slightly more hesitant. He turned his head, looking at the asari crime boss. Aria's smile was turning into a scowl. "What? What are you staring at?"

"Actually, I'm listening to your voice." Neo explained. "You sound just like someone I used to know. You and she sound exactly the same."

Aria's scowl then turned back into a smile. "Well then. Don't get any ideas with me."

"Wouldn't dream of it, mad 'am." Neo turned around and joined Shepard, Garrus, and Wrex.

* * *

Shepard went back to the Normandy and told everyone that the ship will be docked for at least a week and giving detailed instructions to any service members wanting to go on shore leave. After he made his announcement; Neo, Kaiden, Ashley, Tali, Liara, Garrus, and Wrex stood by the docking bay. He told everyone about the Normandy being here and using the _being under repair _excuse when they were really going to book passage on a shuttle to different locations.

Shepard was going to take Garrus to find his fugitive. He decided to bring along Liara and Kaiden.

Neo was going to get Wrex's family armor back. He decided to bring Tali and although he was a little reluctant, he picked Ashley.

The group found shuttle pilots who will take them to their selected destinations and they flew off to the nearest mass relays.

Inside one of the shuttles carrying Shepard, Garrus, Liara, and Kaiden, the group looked outside and noticed a mass relay. This mass relay was a bit odd, because the light that emitted inside the spinning axis was not blue. It was glowing red.

Shepard sat in the front of the shuttle and asked the salarian pilot a curious question. "What is that?"

The salarian pilot answered. "That's the Omega 4 relay."

Shepard looked at it. "I've heard of it, never had the chance to see it for myself. We're not using it are we?"

"Of course not." The salarian said. "Nobody ever returns when they use it. Nobody knows where it goes. Some say it leads ships directly into a black hole, some say it leads into a star. I even hear some say it's a portal to what you humans would call hell."

Shepard looked at the glowing red with curiosity while it was still in view. Then the Omega 4 Relay disappeared while the shuttle was fast approaching Omega's proper relay.

* * *

On board Sovereign, Saren Arterius was walking down the corridors of his ship. He entered a room where a crate was being opened by a few of geth soldiers and an asari supervising the project. She turns around to see Saren enter the room and she gave the rouge Spectre a respective nod and a bow.

Saren stood next to the indoctrinated asari and asked. "Is this what I asked for from those batarian pirates?"

"Yes, Saren." The asari said. "This does raise a question, if I may ask?"

"Yes you may." Saren said as he continued looking at the unloading process.

"Why would you ask for this piece of equipment?" The asari asked.

"You see, Lady Benezia has fallen." Saren explains. "So has the Thorian on Feros. And Dr. Liara T'Soni is in the company of Shepard's team. It is no doubt that they know we have to go to Ilos to find the Conduit. The trouble is that they also have Agent Neo and he is quite relentless when trying to find answers. Not a bad trait, for a human I suppose. Chances are that they will be waiting for us on Ilos by the time we get there. So I requested something the batarian pirates have no use for when they raided an Alliance cargo vessel a while back, but we could certainly use it."

The three geth soldiers open the crate and pull out what looks like a chair. It wasn't any ordinary chair; it was a chair that connected a podborn human to the Matrix.

Saren continued his explanation. "The geth are master hackers and more so with the help of Sovereign. When we're ready to make the trip to Ilos, I am sending an infiltration team of geth into the Matrix."


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

The shuttle pilot carrying Agent Neo, Urdnot Wrex, Tali' Zorah, and Chief Williams landed on the planet Tuntau. According to Wrex's lead, this was the last known location of a turian arms dealer going by the name, Tonn Actus. Actus was a rather wealthy arms dealer and because of his vast wealth, he has acquired a private army of mercenaries at his command. Also according to Wrex's information, Actus wasn't conducting any business at the moment since his last arms shipment was shipped and the money had been transferred. So most likely that he wouldn't be expecting anyone to attack his base/office.

Any good infiltration team would know that discretion is key and right now that is what the four must do. The reason for the discretion is that the base is one single prefabricated building being surrounded by a guard of sentries and four automated defense towers.

Neo ordered the shuttle pilot to land a kilometer and a half away from the base not to alarm the mercenaries. Then the group slowly crept toward the base while hiding behind some rather large boulders.

Neo pulled out a small telescope to observe the merc activity down below. When he studied the structure, he rubbed his chin in deep thought. He looks at Tali while activating his Omni-tool. "Tali. I'm going to find the frequency to those automated gun towers. What I want you to do is shut down the tower's CPU through my frequency channel. Can you shut them down?"

"I'm on it." Tali responded by activating her Omni-tool. "I found the main control board for the turrets."

"Great, now shut them down in ten… nine… eight…" Neo counted down as he pulled out his Arc Rifle and took aim. "…three… two… one… now."

The guns on the turrets lowered as Neo squeezed the trigger. A jolt of lightning came out of the barrel and the stream consumed all the mercenaries surrounding the compound. Neo would've rather not used the Arc Rifle for this manner, but the stream of lightning was quiet enough not to raise alarms for the rest of the mercenaries inside the compound.

Neo, Wrex, Tali, and Ashley stood before the front door of the compound when Wrex tapped Neo on the shoulder. "Neo. I want to lead this raid."

Neo asked. "What for?"

"Because this is personal." Wrex just plainly said. "This involves my family and our honor. It should be fitting that I take lead on this."

Neo smiled. "What a coincidence. I was just about to tell you Wrex, this is your deal so you take lead. You like to take things bluntly, but not to a point of where you lose control. Tell you what, if you can provide the lead, could you provide the distraction without getting yourself killed?"

"That'll be no problem, but what do you three plan to do?" Wrex asked.

"We can provide the cover fire." Neo said while pulling out his assault rifle. "These mercs have a bad habit of leaving a lot of volatile equipment around. Keep them distracted enough, we can cut through a lot of mercs without trying. What do you say?"

Wrex gave the agent a big grin while Wrex pulled out his hefty shotgun. "You three give me cover. I'll go in heavy and strong." Then Wrex activated the sliding door and charged in with Neo, Tali, and Ashley following.

As it turns out there was nobody in the front area of the building which could be reminiscent to a lobby, but when the group was about to enter the main hub Wrex had a quick moment to say a piece about the hell they were about to unleash. "This is the place. My armor's in there somewhere."

The door slid open and Wrex charged right inside, knocking over a couple of mercenaries with his krogan charge. Then he took cover behind a crate while firing on the large number of mercenaries on the top floor. So far the plan was working since the merc squad was focused on Wrex; Neo, Tali, and Ashley slithered along the stacks of crates stored near the entrance.

Neo popped his head around and he could clearly see the top floor when he realized that the mercenaries have unintentionally positioned themselves near a large fuel tank. Neo switched his bullet modification from rapid fire to incinerary rounds. On Neo's right, Ashley was squatting by his side with her sniper rifle in hand. "Ash, see that fuel tank?"

"Yeah." She said.

"Fire a couple of rounds into the bladder and I'll take care of the rest." He said.

"Got it." She takes aim and pumps two shoots into the tank. The tank began to bleed out a neon green liquid and Neo fired a few rounds around the holes to generate enough spark to ignite the volatile substance. The attempt was a success when flames started pouring out and then erupted into a loud fireball. The balcony holding most of the mercenaries were engulfed in the flames while some had been ejected over the balcony and on the floor below.

Tali and Ashley took care of the remaining mercenaries that came down the stairs, but Wrex pointed to someone on the floor. "There he is!"

Wrex was pointing to a turian trying to get up; probably just realizing that he had been thrown over the side from the explosion and now struggling to get up. Wrex just picked the turian up and slammed him against the back wall.

"Who the hell are you?!" The dazzled turian demanded.

"I'm Urdnot Wrex!" Wrex looked at the turian dead in his eyes. "You're Tonn Actus and you have something that I want!"

"Yeah, what is it krogan?" Actus narrowed his eyes. "You want money? You want weapons? We'll fuck you, I'm not gonna budge!"

"You have my family's armor." Wrex said. "I want it back!"

"Screw you." Actus snarled back. "It's somewhere safe and you'll need me to access the code."

Wrex looked at Tali and Neo. Then he turned his focus back on Actus. "Who said anything about needing your access codes?" Then Wrex holds Actus with his left hand and places his right hand on top of his skull. He grips the turian's head and twists it to the side, snapping his neck. Tonn Actus was dead.

The group proceeded to a storage room, after Wrex allows Actus's lifeless body slump down on the floor. The fire was still burning in some areas, so they had to hurry to avoid the smoke in the building to fill up where all oxygen was sucked from their lungs and only Tali could drag them back to the shuttle.

The four walked into a storage room which contained files on books and various types of equipment, where at the other end of the room they encountered a wall safe. Neo and Tali both synchronized their Omni-tools to access the proper code on the wall safe. When they finally got the safe open, Wrex came into the office to see what the two had done.

The safe door flew open and inside was a scarred piece of armor in the color of red with black trims. Wrex looked at the armor, but he couldn't believe his eyes. "This is it. I can't believe my ancestors wore this piece of crap, but at least I got it back."

Neo looks at the old krogan. "I'm glad I can help you get it back, I owe you for helping me out back on Feros."

"Indeed." Wrex looked at Neo. "I might be starting to like you, Neo."

"Shepard deserves some of the credit too." Neo added. "He was insisting on helping you out."

Wrex nods in agreement while he touches his grandfather's armor. He made an expression that was hard to read, but shakes his head while gripping his pistol in a sense of renewed purpose.

Neo just looked and smiled while thinking to himself. _Great. I hope this is enough armor to protect us when Wrex finds out about the facility on Virmire_.

* * *

According to Garrus's research data, this salarian fugitive named Dr. Saleon was continuing his operations in the Kelper Verge in the Herschel system. The ship was named MSV Fedele and the ship's registration was under an alias known as Dr. Heart.

Garrus looked out of one of the shuttle's portholes and Garrus kept mumbling to himself words like. "_There you are you son of a bitch_." or "_End of the line for you_."

What was eerily strange was that the ship was active, but the Fedele was not making any attempts to communicate with the shuttle. The sensors showed that the Fedele's life support was active and so was the ship's power. This caused alarm for Shepard, Garrus, Kaiden, and Liara.

The shuttle docked on the ship's side and the group had their guns drawn. Shepard opened the docking bay doors and her was first to enter through the threshold. It was quiet at first, but the sound of moaning came closer as they walked closer to the cargo bay.

"That's the same sound from Eden Prime and Feros." Kaiden said.

"You do not suppose the geth infiltrated this ship?" Liara suggested. "We are rather close to the Veil."

"It doesn't sound like husks." Shepard said. "They sound like creepers from the Thorian."

"It wouldn't surprise me with Saleon." Garrus remarked and pulled up his assault rifle to make ready. "There's only one way to find out and that's behind this door."

With Garrus's resolved hardened, he opened the door and carefully maneuvered his way behind some stacked cargo boxes. Shepard and Garrus came around the boxes and saw something out of a horror vid.

The almost empty cargo hold was filled with humanoid creatures, but these creatures weren't husks converted by the geth or creepers converted by the Thorian. They looked more like corpses… _walking corpses_. Most of the corpses looked human, but there were some turian, krogan, and some asari. They had large autopsy stitching running vertically across their naked torsos while they were walking around, stumbling without thought or comprehension to their surroundings.

"Do I have to be the ass hole to say it?" Kaiden asked. "But I think this looks like a _zombie infestation_?"

Then one of the _zombies_ howled when they saw Shepard, Garrus, Kaiden, and Liara. Then the other zombies took notice and stumbled towards the group.

"Shepard!" Liara said. "I'll form a barrier! Stay inside the barrier!"

"Right!" Shepard said as Liara created a protective bubble around herself and her three companions. Then Shepard gave the next order. "Open fire!"

Shepard and Garrus opened fire and downed many of the zombies trying to approach them. Kaiden also fired upon the zombies, but when a few got too close to the barrier he knocked them back with his biotics.

What had almost felt like hours, only five minutes passed when the last of the zombies were killed… or as killed as they can be.

Liara turned off her biotics and she almost fainted, but she quickly collected her thoughts. Shepard checked to see if she was alright, but she rest assured him. "I am fine Shepard. Are you well?"

"I'm alright Liara." Shepard said. "We're all fine thanks to you."

"I am glad to hear that, Shepard." Liara said cupping her hand on his face while they both smiled.

"Uh. I don't mean to interrupt this tender moment, but there's a fugitive that needs to face justice." Garrus coyly commented. "He should be up ahead."

"We'll, we had a horror vid moment." Kaiden said. "Now we saw a romance vid moment. Now we get to see a law & order moment." Kaiden chuckled.

They searched the corridors of the ship when they came to one last door. When they opened it, they found a laboratory. Hiding in the corner was a salarian in a tech lab coat. The salarian raised his head when he realized that the people coming inside the lab weren't any of those zombies. This has to be Dr. Saleon. Shepard thought.

"Thank you." The salarian expressed relief. "Thank you for saving me from those things."

Garrus studied the salarian's face and then he made the connection. "Commander, that's him. That's Dr. Saleon."

The salarian's relief suddenly turned to disbelief when he hear Garrus mention the name Saleon. "What? My name is Heart. Dr. Heart. Please get me out of here."

Shepard looked at the salarian doctor. "Are you sure it's him?"

"Positive." Garrus said while looking at Shepard. Then he turns his attention to the fugitive salarian doctor. "There's no escape this time, Doctor. I'd harvest your organs first, but we don't have the time."

"Your crazy." Saleon looks at Shepard. "He's crazy. Please, don't let him do this to me!"

"We'll take him in." Shepard said. "Drop him off with the military."

Garrus began to protest. "But… we have him. We can't let him get away. Not again?"

"If he dies, we'll never know what he's been up to or how he did it. We'll take him in, interrogate him, and he'll serve his time." Shepard told Garrus to calm him down.

"I've…" Garrus was ready to spit fire, but he restrained himself. "Okay. You're right." Then he looks at Saleon. "You're a very lucky salarian. You owe the commander your life."

Then Saleon's tone turned sour and added a thick layer of sarcasm to his response. "Oh. Thank you so very much!"

Then Saleon ran back behind a lab table. He pulled out a pistol from underneath the table and attempted to shoot the commander and Garrus. Shepard was quicker with the draw and he managed to get one shot in Saleon's forehead. The doctor was dead.

Garrus checks the body and he looks back at Shepard in slight anger. "And so he dies anyway! What was the point of that?"

Shepard holsters his pistol and gives Garrus his answer. "You can't predict how people will act, Garrus. But you can control how you'll respond. In the end, that's what really matters."

Garrus gave himself a moment to think while looking at the dead body. Then he looks at Shepard with a sense of resolve. "Yeah. I don't think I've ever met anyone like you, Commander. They teach you well in the Matrix, don't they? We'll I guess we're done here."

They all left the blood stained lab and back towards the shuttle waiting for them to take the four back to Omega.

* * *

Saren opened the door to where his indoctrinated asari is supervising his _special project_. He is looking over the parts and pieces that was once a chair the podborn humans would use for entering their precious sacred ground they would call the Matrix.

One of the main researchers was a salarian wearing a uniform signifying his affiliation to the Special Tasks Group. He was responsible for dismantling the chair that was meant to access the sophisticated virtual reality program and now this salarian was trying to make the access portal accessible for their numerous geth drones.

"How goes the conversion?" Saren asked his salarian servant.

"I've managed to splice the wires from the main access terminal, but it will take the power of Sovereign to fully access the Matrix. The geth alone cannot access such a powerful A.I. program. The way the Matrix works to match this program I'm making would be like trying to catch a bullet when it has been fired."

Saren just stood there looking at the STG technician. "Sovereign is capable of handling such a challenge, but your responsibility is just trying to get the geth infiltration unit through. I just need you to be ready when Shepard is ready to come to my home on Virmire." Then Saren turned his back and walked out of the room.


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

**OMEGA SPACE STATION**

**SSV NORMANDY**

The missions to help find Wrex's armor and Garrus's fugitive was complete. Now the shuttles have returned to Omega without further incident. When Shepard's team and Neo's team returned to the docked Normandy, Shepard had to put up with a few crewmembers who had gotten into a few fights while touring the lawless station's many bars. Since technically the Normandy wasn't suppose to be docked on this lawless space station, Shepard could only discipline the crewmembers down to the lowest level without the brass knowing about the incidents.

Then Shepard shakes his head while gripping the bridge of his nose and thought of the many houses of ill repute the crewmen visited while he was gone. He thought to himself _God. Please don't let any of them have some sexually transmitted disease from some asari hooker._

After grilling the last crewmember and punishing him with extra duty, Shepard decided to walk around the ship to catch up with how the others are doing. He found himself down in the cargo hold and watching Wrex marveling over his family's armor piece. Then he saw Garrus filling out some report, no doubt he's writing a report to inform C-Sec of the death of Dr. Saleon.

Ashley was nowhere to be found, so Shepard decided to walk into engineering to see Tali since he hasn't seen her in a while. When he saw the suited quarian standing in front of the Mass Effect drive core, that's when he decided to talk to her. She didn't look terribly busy at the moment, just monitoring the controls.

"Hey Tali." Shepard called for her attention.

Tali turned around and saw Shepard looking at her. "Hey Shepard. Can I do something for you?"

"Just checking on how the crew is doing." Shepard said. "I also want to know if there's anything I should know about the drive core? We're about to leave Omega and I don't need to stay here longer than necessary."

"The ship's drive core is running to full efficiency." Tali answered. "I don't blame you for leaving this station. Before the Migrant Fleet discovered the Alliance, many quarians would go on pilgrimage through the Terminus systems. Many came to this very space station and often they would come back with horrible stories of their stay here on Omega. Thank keelah for the Systems Alliance, now that pilgrimage to these places will not be necessary."

"That reminds me." Shepard said. "You're still on your pilgrimage, but you were employed with a mining company back on Eden Prime. What happened to your employers?"

"Well, let's just say my employers know of my situation and they have granted me permission to help find Saren." Tali said.

"Who are they?" Shepard asked.

Tali put her hands on her hips and simply just told Shepard. "It's me."

Shepard paused for a moment. "You were the owner of that mining company back on Eden Prime?"

Tali just lowered her head and the tone of her voice. "To put it more accurately. I was starting my own mining company."

"An endeavor like that couldn't come cheap." Shepard said. "How were you going to finance such a company?"

"Shepard, please." Tali said. "For three hundred years the quarian people have learned to accomplish so many challenges with little resources." Then Tali turned her head to the side and she was making a sheepish grin behind her purple visor. "Well… that plus my father was ready to finance my start."

"Wait a minute, Tali." Shepard said. "You said earlier that your father is an Admiral on the Migrant Fleet, but I didn't know how well financed he was."

Tali took a deep breath and explained to her commander. "He earned his wealth when he helped much of the human colonies with major mining projects. Quarians have learned to seek and locate where raw materials could be located on various planets during our three hundred years of exile from our homeworld. Many human owning mining companies located on those colonies have asked for the assistance of the Migrant Fleet. These mining companies were able to find large quantities of ore and in return for helping them they would give us a finder's fee made from their profits."

Then Tali activated her Omni-tool to show Shepard a picture of her father with a tone of respect for the being on the photograph. "This is Admiral Rael'Zorah. His ship is a research ship called the Alarei… actually he now has a new ship which shares the same name. You see, with some of those finder's fees the mining companies gave to the Admirals, they were able to take that money and invest it back into those same mining companies we quarians helped before. When the mining companies were showing record profits, the Migrant Fleet was able to afford new things for our ships; such as armor, engines, and those NI cannons."

Shepard stopped her right there. "You said the Migrant Fleet was able to afford all those upgrades, but I thought it was the Admirals who were getting wealthy."

"Actually, wealth is different among the quarians than it is with humans." Tali began to explained. "I learned that humans seem to gain influence and respect among their own kind when they become rich, but their acquired riches seem to encourage hoarding vast personal items for themselves."

Shepard shrugged at the thought, especially when a non-human was judging his species. Then he shook off the thought when he figured that Tali was right about how humans act when they are rich.

Tali continued her story. "How the quarians gain respect among our people is when someone can bring something of value to the fleet that can help make life easier, hence the pilgrimage. If that individual happens to keep bringing new innovations and help make life easier on the Flotilla, they are given titles such as Captains or Admirals." Tali wanted to make sure she didn't lose Shepard in the long train of explanation. "Now remember when I told you about those mining companies offering finder's fees?"

"Yes." Shepard said.

"Often those Admirals are in charge of locating a large deposit of ore." Tali continued. "The Admirals take the money and discuss with the other Captains under their commands how to distribute the money to the ships in the Admiral's fleet. At some point, some Captains got the idea to invest the money into those same mining companies and gain a return profit from their investment. My father was one of those Captains to make that suggestion and which helped him rise up to become an Admiral. When the Migrant Fleet's budget began to expand, we were able to afford and utilize more resources that came our way. Then my father got the idea to invest in the Alliance's weapons division. It was his idea to dispatch a small fleet of volunteers armed with those NI cannons at the battle of Torfan."

Shepard raised both his hands. "That was your father's doing? Was it also his idea to hire those krogan mercs for a frontal assault?"

"Oh keelah, no." Tali just felt a jolt of astonishment. "My father wanted to simply unleash a bombing campaign to assist the Alliance soldiers on the moon's surface. The idea to use krogan mercenaries was Admiral Zaal'Koris's decision. My father may be a stern man, but Zaal'Koris is the kind of man that would sacrifice men at all costs… even though the men they sacrificed were krogan mercenaries."

"Well, that sounds like a bad outlook, but if it weren't for Zaal'Koris I would've had to make a tough decision." Shepard leaned back on the nearest console. "You see, before the battle was about to commence I had been granted a position to lead an attack on an enemy position, but the odds were stacked against me. I was about to lead the assault against a large number of batarian pirates and slavers. They were dug in deep and most were held up inside their fortresses. I examined the options and then I came to the conclusion that if I was to win this battle and show the galaxy what humanity is capable of, I would've had to push the troops on the ground to a breaking point. A point that would've cost a lot of lives and to win the battle would've meant _to win at all costs_."

Shepard placed his hands on his eyes and rubbed them hard. Then Shepard continued. "What scarred me the most was willing to kill those batarian pirates at the cost of our troops. But then, Admiral Hackett called and told me about the big surprise the volunteer fleet had. I was curious, but I held back our troops just to see what the quarians had in store. To my amazement, I felt relieved when I saw krogan pouring out of those landing pods. Thank god those batarians were more afraid of krogan than humans and that's why one-third of the batarian pirates fled the battlefield that day." He let out a soft laugh. "If it weren't for Korris, I don't know if I would've met Wrex. But I do know that a lot of lives would've been lost and the victory on Torfan would've been nothing less than a _Pyrrhic victory_."

Then Tali leaned back on the console next to Shepard with her arms crossed, looking at Shepard. "I'm glad you didn't have to make such a decision, Shepard. Those are the kind of things that make me respect your leadership… and I consider you a friend. You put others before yourself and that earns respect from my people."

Then Shepard smiled. "So if I wasn't human, but a quarian… would that make me a rich Admiral?" Then he let out a soft laugh and Tali followed suit. "I should go. I should see what Liara is doing. Thanks for telling me all that."

Tali was feeling the cringe of jealousy flowing through her veins, but she kept her composure. She just simply told Shepard as he walked away. "See you later." Then she opened one of her many pockets and slightly pulled out the spoon, her gift from the Oracle. Then she nods and places the spoon back in the pocket.

* * *

Neo walked grabbed a tray of hot food and he was about to sit down, but when Shepard caught his sight he left his tray on the table and followed Shepard into the medical bay.

"Commander?" Neo called and Shepard turned around. "There's something I need to talk to you about before we start investigating Cerberus."

"What is it?" Shepard asked.

Neo looked around for Dr. Chakwas, but she wasn't in her usual station. She was out of the medical bay for the moment, so Neo needed to talk fast. "Look, I know a few things about Cerberus that I thought you should know."

"Okay, what is it?" Shepard asked.

"A few months ago, I was contacted by Admiral Kahoku." Neo said. "He was concerned for a lost marine unit on a planet called Edolus. He wasn't getting the help he needed from the high command, so he went as far as getting information from the Shadow Broker himself. When he got his information, he contacted me so I can find his lost unit. I went to Edolus and found a beacon that belonged to his unit. When I found the unit dead and right after I turned off the beacon, I was attacked by a Thresher Maw."

When Neo mentioned the Thresher Maw, Shepard's spine began to tingle from the mere thought of the creature. Bad memories came flooding, but then he shrugged them off.

Neo continued. "I didn't have anything to fight back, but I was able to outrun the thing on the speeder bike I had with me. When I told Admiral Kahoku what happened to his unit, he told me something else that I found a little disturbing." Neo took a deep breath and told Shepard. "Cerberus's research consisted of work on the genetic enhancement of humans. There's no telling how they are going about it, but rumors have circulated that Cerberus is looking out for the interests of humanity. Human dominance of the galaxy to be exact. Basically trying to make the Matrix obsolete for human advancement, by means of research such as genetic engineering and state-of-the-art technology. One of their research methods was studying a variety of dangerous species, like what they have done to that marine unit on Edolus. The marines fell for a trap created by Cerberus for the purpose of studying the Maw's pattern of movements. Then Kahoku told me that it wasn't the first time Cerberus did that. Another time they did such a thing was on… Akuze."

Shepard's jaw dropped open. Shepard was disoriented for a moment, then he brought himself to ask Neo. "What happened to Admiral Kahoku?"

"He disappeared." Neo said. "Nobody could find him, that was until I got an anonymous message that he had to go into hiding. I had to go as far as looking into asking the Shadow Broker's help to locating him. I found the information I needed about the Admiral and the news was that he was taken to a research facility on the planet Ontarom. I infiltrated the facility and found the Admiral dead. He was strapped to a chair with various needle marks on his forearm. When Cerberus found out the infiltration by yours truly, they quickly closed up shop and moved their facility to another planet. They moved to Binthu… basically where we are going to next."

Shepard couldn't believe what he was hearing, but he gathered himself and looked at Neo. "Thank you for telling me that and I think I'm going to need you along when we investigate these facilities."

"You bet, Shepard." Neo said while Shepard walked into Liara's room. Neo walked out of the medical bay and back to the mess hall. He was about to sit back in his seat, but then he saw Ashley Williams sitting at the next table over. Her back was turned away from him, so she didn't know he was eating here previously.

Neo looked at his food and just gave into some thought as he closed his eyes. Then he just raised his head up and opened his eyes. He takes a deep breath and picks up his tray. He walks over to the next table.

Ashley was about to dive into her scrambled eggs, when she saw Neo around the corner of her eye. She stopped and saw the agent standing beside her.

Neo looked at the Chief with a small smile. "Is this seat taken?"

Ashley looked at Neo for a moment, then she smiled. Neo took the smile an invitation to sit down, so he was about to take the seat across from her. Then he saw Ashley shifting to the empty seat on her left. Neo was confused at first, but he got the hint of where she wanted him to sit. "This seat's free." She said with a smile and then Neo let out a small smile himself.

* * *

**VOYAGER CLUSTER**

**BINTHU**

Inside a makeshift Cerberus facility, a doctor was in a shaky conversation on a secured comm channel. It is because he was having a conversation with a notoriously powerful man. The doctor was very nervous while trying to explain his current situation.

"I'm telling you sir, we are almost on the verge of a breakthrough." The doctor said. "Those husks we found on Eden Prime are showing promise, but we still need some time to analyze the tissue of the Thorian Creepers if we want obedient husks. I know you want results, but this lab facility isn't quite working to standards. If that damn Alliance agent didn't infiltrate the last one…"

"The discovery of your last outpost was due to your incompetence for covering your tracks." The authoritarian voice responded to the doctor's complaint. The Cerberus doctor could only make out the shadowy silhouette of a man sitting down with a full view of a dying star in the background. "I don't desire excuses, doctor. I only desire results."

"I apologize for my sudden occurrence a moment ago, sir." The doctor sincerely apologized. "But my research does require a more updated facility. I have almost made a breakthrough, but I need a little more incentive or a more isolated area. I'm afraid to test these subject out so close to the other facilities from the risk of cross contamination."

The shadow man reached to his left side and inserted what looked like a cigarette in his mouth. Then his chair swiveled slightly to the side while on the shadow man's right hand was a lighter, igniting the tip of the cigarette until the tip contained a cherry colored plume. Then the chair swiveled again so that the doctor can see his boss in person, although he could only see the man's bio-luminescent eyes and the smoke escaping his exhaling mouth.

"I understand the work you are doing and the results look promising." The man said as he continued with a calm demeanor. "We are in the process of creating another laboratory for you and your staff, but I cannot tolerate anymore excuses. Any more delays and you will see first hand how replaceable you are."

The video feed stopped and the doctor could only shiver from the what his boss suggested. Then he walked out of his office and wanted to see the latest updates from his staff.

When the door slid open as he expected to see his fellow science team conducting research and running analysis, but to his shock he only saw heavily armed men and a couple of krogan all wearing green armor. They were looming over the bodies of the dead scientists they had just killed. When the doctor's presence alarmed one of the heavily armed men, the doctor tried to run back to his office.

The doctor didn't make it more than two feet, when he was grabbed by a pair of hands pulling him to the floor. The doctor was breathing heavily with a sense of panic creeping out his voice. The heavily armed man grabbed the doctor by the collar and shoved him against the wall.

The doctor looked at the man's eyes filled with rage through the glass visor of his green helmet. "I don't know what you want, but the alarms in this facility will trigger and help will come." The doctor said in a pathetic attempt to scare the armed men away.

"Don't bother with threatening us, we knocked out the alarms." The armed man said. "I just want to see the look in your eyes, doc. To see the same image of fear that you installed in me those years ago. Now I want you to feel that uncontrollable sense of terror scratching the surface of your brain."

The doctor just shakes his head fear, hearing the man's malevolent voice. "What are you talking about? Who are you?"

"You don't remember, me?" The man said. "Let me refresh your memory, I escaped your lab two years ago! After you found me on Akuze and made me your human lab rat! You remembered me as Corporal Toombs!"

"No… it can't be?" The doctor shakes his head.

"Yes, it is!" Toombs eyes widened with a wicked grin. "I'm going to take sooooo much pleasure making the rest of your short life… in agonizing pain."


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

While only hours away from the planet Binthu, Shepard took the opportunity to see Ashley. He hadn't had the chance to talk to her since she and Liara confronted him in the comm room. The only communication they had was on the field, so now he wanted to know how she's holding up.

Shepard slowly strode up to Ashley and when she sensed a presence behind her. She quickly turned around and said. "Thomas? Oh. Commander, what can I do for you?"

Shepard raised his right eyebrow and made a small smirk. He showed her a look as if that he knows what she had been up too. "Williams. Uh, I just came down to talk. I just wanted to know how you have been holding up. Never had the chance to see how you've been doing since our discussion up on the comm room."

"I'm alright, sir." Ashley assured Shepard. "Water under the bridge. I'm a big girl and I think a little thing like rejection wouldn't shake me. Besides, I moved on."

"I see you have." Shepard smiled. "Starting to call our resident intelligence agent by his first name." Ashley gave her own half-hearted smile shifting her eyes to the side and grabbing her right arm with her left hand. She was no longer a marine, but a teenage girl who's father found out about a boy she'd been seeing. "Well, I mean… we've been talking."

"Don't worry about it." Shepard said. "He's not military, so the rules of fraternization don't apply. I hope it goes well for you two."

"Thank you, sir." Ashley smiled. "Just going to have a quick drink with Agent Neo in a few minutes to celebrate the upcoming Armistice Day. My family always celebrates it and since I'm the only Williams on board, I want to keep up the tradition. Would you care to join us?"

"Well, I can have one drink." Shepard said while smiling. "You couldn't possibly think that I was the most patriotic man on the ship."

"Nah. You just happened to be by at the right time." Then Ashley made an inquisitive look. "Don't tell me that you don't know about my family? My commanders always find out. It's not in my files or nothing?"

"There's almost nothing in your files." Shepard said. "There was just technical scores and a list of crap assignments."

"There's a reason for the crap assignments." Ashley took a deep breath and confessed. "I'm General Williams's granddaughter. The first freeborn human to reach the level of general since before the end of the Human/Machine war? The commander of the Shanxi garrison during the First Contact war? The only human to ever surrender to an alien race?"

Shepard shakes his head. "Don't tell me you're the blame for that?"

"Not formally." Ashley said. "Dad got passed up for promotion over and over. And I think my record merits more than garrison duty on backwater agric-colonies. Takes a special kind of thickheaded to march into a job where your family is blacklisted. I did it anyway. I'm not going to let our name go down with Arnold and Quisling. Grandad deserved better than that."

"What happened to your grandfather after the war?" Shepard asked. "He was relieved of command as soon as Shanxi was liberated." Ashley continued. "They brought him back to Earth in irons. There was never a trial. They quietly demoted him and stuck him behind a desk. He retired a year later and spent the rest of his life working construction on the colonies." Then she takes a deep breath. "The reason for the quiet demotion, to Alliance command was that it was more about politics than principle. You remember how life was like from the Great Synthesis to the First Contact war?"

"The Insurrection/Terrorism era?" Shepard asked.

"Yes." Ashley said. "Those were trying times. Freeborn humans were doing everything to colonize as many planets they could find, mostly to get far away from podborn humans and in some extreme cases was to hope to start their own governments to raise and eventually overthrow the Matrix ruled government back on Earth. For the twenty-five years prior to the First Contact war and when the Alliance formed, the Alliance wanted to fill in the gaps between the podborn populace with the freeborn colonies. They started drafting more freeborns from the enlisted ranks to become officers and my grandfather eventually became the first freeborn human to become a general in the Alliance. The Alliance sent small garrisons of freeborn troops to the colonies to help form and utilize local militias as a way to build bridges between the Alliance and the freeborn colonies. Fate threw a curveball to him when the Coronado landed and led a fleet of turian warships to the colony."

"From what I remember, your Grandfather held out as long as he could against incredible odds." Shepard said.

Ashley continued. "I'm glad you see it that way. Funny though. He was trying to unite podborn and freeborn humans and it was the Turian Hierarchy helped achieve his goals. You know the real irony was the witch hunt was conducted by a series of freeborn officers. They were making an example of my Grandfather, because he was the first freeborn human to become a General and he was… he was. They made an example out of him." Ashley was losing her words and she just clenched her hands in a fist.

Shepard saw the stress on her face and hands. "What they did to your grandfather was not right, but is this why you push yourself?"

"Like I said, I'm not letting our family name go down like Arnold and Quisling." Ashley eyes narrowed in a look of determination. Then her eyes lit up and she smiled when she saw someone approaching.

Neo approached the two while carrying a wrapped towel. "Ash. Commander."

"Neo." Both Shepard and Ashley said at the same time.

"Well, Commander." Neo pulled out a stack of plastic cups and placed them on Ashley's work table. "If I known you were coming for the celebration, I would've broken out all the fine plasticware." Neo said with a grin.

"I take it that's another bottle you have confiscated from another serviceman?" Shepard asked coyly.

"Yeah. There must be an epidemic around here." Neo smiled as he unwrapped the towel to show a cylinder shaped bottle containing a brown liquid. "It's levo-friendly turian brandy. Appropriate for Armistice Day, huh." Neo let out a small laugh. "I hope you don'tmind, but I brought a guest to our party." As he turned around and saw Kaiden coming towards the three.

"Kaiden." Shepard said.

"Commander. Chief." Kaiden said while he pulled four plastic cups from the stack and passed them out to each other. Ashely and Shepard nodded in response. Neo broke open the bottle and poured a shot's worth of bourbon in the cups. When he placed the bottle on Ashley's working table, they all raised their glasses and toasted.

* * *

**BINTHU**

The mercenaries were looking around the facility and gathering as much as they can get their hands on. Some found a nice cache of high grade weapons, armor, and explosives. They even found some use for the electronics lying around. The mercs managed to work while hearing the constant muffled screaming behind the closed doors was of the Cerberus doctor undergoing an agonizing torture session by the vengeful Toombs.

One of mercenary tech specialists was gathering information on one the data terminals and muttered to himself the data that came along as he was downloading. The merc was interrupted by a distress call. He listened to the distress call for a moment and after listening to the call, the merc decided to radio in to Toombs and only then did the screaming stopped. "Hey, boss. We got a problem."

Toombs was in the middle of a unique torture session. He had a special black rectangular modulator in the palm of his left hand. The modulator had five wires twisted in a thick strand and plugged into the back of the Cerberus doctor's Matrix node. The doctor was tied to a chair and his mouth gagged. Obviously what Toombs had in his hand was a black market torture device used specifically for podborn humans.

A rather flustered Toombs turned off the modulator and answered the radio. "What is it?"

"I just received a distress signal from the other Cerberus outposts. They were saying that their posts have just been overrun by some Alliance operatives." The merc said.

The radio just went silent for a moment. Then Toombs gave his order. "Reset the automated gun ports and man your stations. I imagine we're going to expect some company."

Toombs just looked at the doctor before him as he slowly approached. He takes the mouth gag off and the doctor was panting and whimpered while he was breathing. "Please. Stop. No more." The doctor pleaded.

"Now you're begging me to stop?" Toombs snapped at the doctor with his face next to his own. "Do you remember the pain you put me through? Do you even remember the pain you put others through? After my escape, I did a little searching of my own into Cerberus! Before your thresher maw research with me and my division, I learned of another place you worked before! You were using an alias name at the time, but I put the pieces together! You were part of that fabled biotic death camp on Pragia! Were you?"

The doctor just remained silent, but gave the Toombs the look of guilt. He remained silent as if confession would be worse than staying quiet.

Toombs crossed his arms, judging the doctor. "The pain you're going through, is just a fraction of the pain you inflict on countless others."

* * *

The third research facility had been taken down. Shepard, Neo, Wrex, and Garrus were amazed that these research facilities had been undergoing questionable research which involves studying rachni from Noveria, husks from Eden Prime, and thorian creepers from Feros.

Now the group was inside the Mako, steadily approaching the last Cerberus facility. From the aerial views, this facility was different from the other three facilities as if it was established by a prefab construction.

The Sentinels were made useful for the reconnaissance and they even provided support when they found the base. They were able to quietly take out the guards surrounding the base and when perimeter was cleared, they proceeded inside.

To their surprise, the base was not filled with Cerberus personnel, but armed mercenaries with matching green armor. The mercenaries were taken care of, but when the smoke cleared Shepard and Neo saw the evidence around them. The bodies of the researchers were piled in a corner.

Shepard went over to a console and found a data loading terminal showing the small screen saying _data uploading complete._ He called Neo over to take a look. "Looks like they were getting all the information they could muster."

"Most likely trying to sell the information." Neo added. "No doubt to the Shadow Broker. I can defiantly take this and turn it in to headquarters."

Toombs remained quiet as he carefully watched the door. Since the former soldier turned mercenary is distracted, the doctor wedged loose his straps and managed to free himself.

When the doctor got up from his seat, Toombs took a quick glance behind him and saw the doctor trying to get up. Toombs pointed his pistol at the man attempting to escape.

The doctor yelped out a cry. "Help!"

Shepard, Neo, Wrex, and Garrus all simultaneously heard the screeching in the next room. With their weapons drawn, they charged into the back office. When they opened the door, they were standing before a mercenary pointing his sidearm at a scientist.

"Stay back!" The mercenary ordered the group. "I got no grief with you! All I want is this bastard!"

"Please! He's a madman!" The doctor pleaded. "Mr. Toombs! You're insane! You need help!"

"Shut up! You don't get to lie!" Toombs snapped back, but when he took a closer look at Shepard a wave of memories came crashing down. "Shepard? Shepard, is that you?"

"Corporal Toombs?" Shepard was shaking his head in disbelief. "But… I saw you die on Akuze! How did you survive?"

"They took me Shepard!" Toombs exclaimed. "The scientists!"

"You can't prove any of this!" The doctor made a hollow protest. "This man is delusional!"

"Of course I can!" Toombs narrowed his grip of his pistol. "You're a podborn! I can just tune into your mind! Then we'll see how much you know! You see, they were running tests on the thresher maws. They let those things hit us just to watch and study. I woke up in a holding cell. The scientist were delighted I'd survive. Now they had someone to run tests on."

Shepard couldn't allow his former squad mate to pull the trigger on the doctor. He decided to speak quickly. "Toombs, I didn't see anybody. If I'd seen you, I'd have come back for you. I swear."

As the shouting match continued, Shepard realized that he needed this scientist alive so he can face trial or at the very least give his testimony for the people he worked for.

When Toombs declared that this doctor before him needed to die, Shepard told the beleaguered soldier. "You're better than this Toombs. You're not like them."

Toombs just scowled. "Don't tell me who I am! You got away with a few scratches and a scary reputation! The rest of the unit died and I was tortured, Shepard! You can't judge me! You don't have the right!"

"Toombs, if I could've helped you on Akuze, I would have." Shepard said. "All I can do is help you now. Let me."

Toombs grip began to weaken as he lowered his stance on the doctor. Somehow the words got through to him and Shepard gave a sigh of relief. Then Toombs told him. "Okay, I'm no murderer. They couldn't make me one. Just as long as he goes on trial. Maybe the screaming will stop now… I don't know."

Shepard motioned Garrus to watch the doctor while Shepard put his hand on Toombs's shoulder. "Those bastards can't hurt you anymore." Then he radioed in to the Normandy. "Joker. Tell the Fifth Fleet that we need a ship for pick-up."

As Toombs stares at the floor, Garrus and Shepard grab the scientist and drag him out of the room. Neo grabs the data terminal from inside his pocket and looks at the terminal with heavy thought running through his mind. _Experiments on soldiers. What's inside this data?_

* * *

The Normandy left the orbit of Binthu after they handed Toombs and the Cerberus scientist over to one of the ships in Admiral Hackett's fleet. Now they were on route to the planet Virmire. Shepard was wandering around the CIC when he saw Neo downloading data from the mercenary's data terminal.

Shepard approached the agent. "What's going on?"

Neo looked at Shepard and shakes his head. "Nothing much, I'm getting ready to send this captured Cerberus data I got off from those mercs back to headquarters. What I'm doing is making a copy for myself, because when I send this back I fear that it is going to be shelved and forgotten for years. I would much rather learn what Cerberus is about than trying to figure it out through bureaucratic channels."

Shepard looked at the information Neo had in his hand. "What did you find out?"

"Plans and designs mostly." Neo said. "They are well funded… enough to start their own army. Not to mention that they are a human supremacist organization. They make the Terra Firma party look like a charity organization. Something tells me that having this info will come in handy." Then Neo looked around to make sure when it was safe to talk quietly to Shepard. "Have you figured out what to tell Wrex about the cloning facility on Virmire?"

"Haven't figured it out yet." Shepard said. "You know, if there's problem on Virmire we can send a small fleet for backup."

"No dice, Commander." Neo said. "To send a fleet would advertise what we know about STG's investigation on Virmire and that would raise questions among the Council. You see STG has a spy network all over the Terminus systems and inside Council space. They don't need to know that our agency has eyes and ears out there, too. Remember, the Council said the signal came in with too much static. How will we explain to the Council how we know to bring in a fleet to stop an army of geth stationed on that planet?"

"Alright." Shepard said. "I see your point, so I guess we're going to have to make due with what we got. That's not going to be the problem, but I'm more concerned about Wrex."

"You know, if it comes to that and Wrex doesn't fall in…" Neo mentions while he places his right index finger on the left side of his neck and simulates slitting his throat. It made Shepard a little uneasy, but Neo quickly responded to his facial response. "I know you don't want to think about it, but worst case scenario might have to call for it."

Shepard didn't want to make that kind of decision, but Neo could be right. Shepard might have to kill Wrex. In that case, he would need to figure out what to say to the krogan warrior and they had only a day until they reached Virmire.


	28. Chapter 28

**CHAPTER 28**

Saren looked over his data pad confirming the latest batch of krogen clones being loaded on a few geth ships. He placed the data pad on his desk and looked out the window with a full view of the ocean and on the left was his flagship Sovereign docked next to a landing port.

The door to his office opened as his personal asari assistant walked in. "Sir. We just got reports that an Alliance ship has entered orbit."

"How many?" Saren asked as he still gazed out through the window.

"Just one." The asari answered. "The ship has been identified as the Normandy."

Saren turned around to look at his assistant. "The Citadel only sent Shepard?" He paused for a moment. "What is the progress of the STG camp right now?"

"So far there has been no progress." The asari said. "They are still awaiting reinforcements."

"Perhaps Shepard and his team are the reinforcements, but doubtful since we had the dampening fields up." Saren said. "They must be here to investigate what happened to the team. What is the status with the latest batch of krogan?"

"The tanks below is undergoing the final preparations of the cloning." The asari said. "They are installing the cognitive functions as we speak."

"The krogan that we have are only enough for a quick strike." Saren said as he pulled up some more data pads. "Pass the order. Hold off Shepard and the remaining STG as long as possible. Now how is the process of accessing the Matrix coming along?"

"All systems are almost ready." The asari said. "All we have to do is decide what team to send in. Shall we commence with the infiltration, when ready?"

"Not yet." Saren said. "We will access the Matrix when we proceed to Ilos. If Shepard succeeds with shutting this facility down, no doubt he will be waiting for us there. That will be all." The asari bowed and left the room. Saren accessed his holo vid on his desk and projected the red image of Soverign. He caressed the holographic image and smiled in awe.

* * *

**SSV NORMANYDY**

**ORBIT OF VIRMIRE**

Shepard gathered his team in the cargo hold. Each member was lined up next to the Mako, weapons and armor ready. After his impromptu inspection, he looked at everyone and stated. "Alright everyone. Now we got a lead on Saren. We have a lead and we're about to land on the planet Virmire. What this means to us is that we are not taking back facilities that were overrun or under attack by Saren's geth army, we are now taking the fight to Saren's territory. We are taking the offensive." Shepard looks at Neo. "Neo. We haven't broken out that APU of yours in a while. What features does it have that can be useful?"

Neo typed up his Omni-tool and showed the aerial map of the area surrounding the facility. "Since the Mako is going to land next to this beach, the pathway is along this estuary and will most likely be guarded by geth soldiers and some of their heavy hitters. Remember those thruster functions the APU had back on Therum?"

"Yes?" Shepard answered.

Neo continued. "Well. The thrust's power can be adjusted so that the APU can skim along the water like a ski boat or a man on skis."

Kaiden spoke up when he heard what Neo said. "Wouldn't the body weight contradict the balance if you glide across the water?"

Neo just laughed. "Don't worry about it. You've never seen the thrusters in action and besides, it's not like I haven't used the APU for recreational use before."

Then Shepard had a picture in his mind of Agent Neo using the Agency's toys for boating on the ocean planet of Kahje or skiing down the snowy mountains of Noveria. Now he was picturing Neo on water skis being pulled by the Mako like it was a vacation.

Shepard gathered his thoughts and asked another question. "What about the Sentinels? Are you planning on fully utilizing them while we're down there?"

"Of course." Neo said. "We are going to be using the Sentinels for reconnaissance and according to this map we will have to cross three gates. While we push through the trail, the Sentinels will infiltrate the gates and hopefully by the time we arrive to each of these gates, the Sentinels will have done their job."

"Alright then." Shepard said. "Neo you're coming along with us in your APU. The rest of you will be coming with me in the Mako." Then Shepard looks at the clock on his Omni-tool. "It's about that time. Let's pack it in." Just like that, the team climbed aboard the Mako and Neo climbed aboard the APU.

* * *

Joker flew the Normandy close to the shoreline and opened the cargo bay doors. The Mako flew out and made a rough landing while Neo's landing was a little more graceful.

Then Neo activated the control panel in front of him and the Sentinels cracked to life as they flew away over the rocky hills. Neo thought to himself. _Go get'em boys_.

Shepard radioed in to Neo. "Neo, are you ready?"

"Let's go." Neo responded by activating the boosters on his APU.

While the Mako was cruising through the watery path, the APU was moving along the side of the six-wheeled tank with its torso shaped body slightly squatting forward while the boosters were keeping the APU above water.

Both the Mako and the APU came across multiple geth units as they pushed forward towards the first gate. One could say that the geth were relentless and determined to stop their invaders from taking this territory from them, but these were not organic beings. They did not share hesitation, fear, or hate like their organic attackers. They can function only when told to do so and that's what makes the geth such a dangerous enemy.

As they continued fighting through the geth defensive lines; Shepard, Neo, Ashley, and Kaiden would often think to themselves. _Is this what it must've been like fighting the machines during the Human/Machine War?  
_  
After ducking and dodging through geth fire, the two vehicles finally made it to the first gate. When they arrived, they saw the gate opening its doors. When Shepard saw the movement, he readied his main gun. Neo did the same thing as both operators waited for a geth target to emerge from the walled perch above the gates. They did detect movement and the signature suggested that the beings were of synthetic origin.

"Shepard?" Neo called to Shepard through his comm link.

"I know." Shepard responded as he targeted the main gun. "Get ready."

When the object came into view, the object had the familiar metal tendrils flopping and weaving in the air as it flew around the gate system. The synthetic was not a geth unit, but a Sentinel.

"Oh, thank God." Shepard said taking his hand off the cannon's trigger.

Tali's response was. "Never thought that seeing a machine was a relief."

"Yeah." Neo agreed. "Looks like they got the job done."

"Yes." Shepard said. "One down, two more to go."

The Mako and the APU pushed on through to the next gate.

* * *

On board Saren's flagship Sovereign, a salarian was working on programming on the podborn Matrix chair. The salarian was running a few codes and diagnostics, when he finally got what he was looking for. The screen he was using to locate the connection was found when the screen's image changed from program data to the dripping imagery of green numerical symbols written in the human languages of Chinese and Arabic. The salarian smiled and realized that he now had access to the Matrix.

The salarian activated the comm link to Saren and in his hyper voice the salarians are famous for having he expressed his excitement. "Saren! I've done it! I have made a connection to the Matrix!"

"Perfect." Saren responded on the other line. "Are you being detected by anything unusual?"

"No, sir." The salarian said. "This is only a connection, but nothing has been tampered with."

"Keep this connection active." Saren ordered. "Discretion is crucial, so keep it on as long as you can."

"Yes, sir." The salarian said as he makes preparations for the geth.

* * *

After the final gate was overrun, the dampening fields which created a communications blackout was shut down along with the controls which functioned the AA guns in the area. The Normandy was cleared from anti-aircraft guns, so it was safe for the ship to fly though.

The Normandy flew right over the Mako and the APU, however a minute later Joker radioed in and told the group the bad news. "Normandy's touched down at the base, but it looks like we're grounded. The salarian captain can explain when you get here."

When they heard the latest news, Neo decided to recall the Sentinels before arriving at the salarian STG camp. The sight of Sentinels in front of an espionage team of salarians would raise their eyebrows, even though salarians don't have any.

As the Sentinels rested back in their docking ports on the back of the Mako, they found themselves circling around a large rock formation and right before them was the wall of Saren's compound. Nestled next to the wall were two prefab buildings with many armor wearing salarians walking around.

"There's the salarian camp." Ashley pointed out.

"Look at that complex." Kaiden added.

Wrex studied the structure with his own eyes. "How do you suppose they could build such a massive construction project without gathering too much attention?"

"The geth are machines." Tali said. "They can be programmed to build large construction projects without stopping and utilize little resources."

Garrus decided to join in on the chat. "Rather similar to the machines humanity built in the late 21st century, right Shepard?"

"Pretty much." Shepard agreed with Garrus, but didn't want to think too much of what could have easily been humanity's fate.

Then Shepard saw the Normandy had landed on his right side, opening its cargo door. Shepard took the opportunity to drive the Mako up the ramp and park it in its designated spot on the ship. However, Neo decided to park his APU on the left bank next to the salarian camp. The APU hissed as Neo turned off the walking tank.

By the time all the functions were off, the team was out of the Mako and walking away from the Normandy. Ashley and Kaiden were standing in front of the salarian. Ashley was talking to the head salarian as Neo decided to watch the conversation for a moment.

"So what are we suppose to do now?" Ashley demanded from the head salarian.

The green skinned salarian responded by saying. "Stay put until we can come up with a plan."

Shepard walked up behind the two soldiers and looked at the salarian. "Are you in charge here? What's the situation?"

The salarian explained. "I'm Captain Kirrahe. Third infiltration Unit STG. You and crew have landed in a middle of a hotzone. Every AA gun within 10 miles has been alerted to your presence."

Neo called to the captain. "Kirrahe? I thought it was you. And I see you made captain." Neo approached as the salarian looked at Neo.

"Agent Neo?" Kirrahe said with a hint of surprise in his voice. "What brings Alliance Intelligence here?"

"I tagged along with Commander Shepard's team." Neo replied.

Kirrahe looked over to see Neo's APU. "I see you're still playing with those old Earth toys of yours."

"I take it you know each other?" Shepard commented.

Neo smiled at Shepard. "The agency had a couple of joint missions with STG, which I had the honor of being a part of." Neo was then looking at Kirrahe. "When I first met him, he was a lieutenant."

Shepard decided to stop this little reunion. "Sorry to interrupt, but I want to get back to the main topic. Since the AA guns are now aware of our presence, what are we suppose to do in the meantime?"

Kirrahe replied. "We stay put until the Council sends in the reinforcements we requested."

Neo just slyly walks away from Kirrahe, because he knows what the next response is going to be.

"We are the reinforcements." Kaiden just replied as he uncrossed his folded arms.

"What?" Kirrahe couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You're all they sent? I was told the Council would send a fleet?"

"They couldn't understand your transmission." Shepard decided to tell him what the Council told him and decided to leave Neo's message out of it. "They sent me to investigate."

Neo decided to let Kirrahe and Shepard talk since now he can trust Shepard in not spilling out too much information. _He does make a great agent_. Neo would think to himself, but now he felt was best to try and find Wrex. Neo was looking around for the old krogan, but he was nowhere to be found. He was hoping that he would be able to talk to him first. _Before he talks to any of the salarians. Before he learns what this facility has produced_. When Neo turned back to see Shepard and Kirrahe…

Wrex had wondered over to the two commanders and listened in to their conversation about the cloned krogan. "How is that possible?"

_Dammit. _Neo thought. _Have to give it to the old lizard. He's quite stealthy for a krogan. I can see why he's the best bounty hunter in the business. But now we'll have to deal with him._

Kirrahe wasn't holding any information back. For a highly intelligent race, they were almost incapable of lying. "Apparently, Saren has discovered a cure for the genophage. Without the genophage, the krogan will quickly overrun the galaxy and these krogan follow Saren."

"The geth are bad enough." Shepard said. "But with a krogan army… he'd be unstoppable."

"Exactly my thoughts." Kirrahe responded. "We must ensure that this facility and its secrets are destroyed."

Wrex just scowled. "Destroyed? I don't think so."

At that point, Shepard, Neo, Ashley, and Kaiden decided to tune out of the conversation. They watched Wrex take over the conversation and watched closely for certain body movements that would signify danger, because krogan are almost always guaranteed to turn any argument into a full blown brawl or a duel to the death.

The conversation ended with Wrex pointing his finger at the salarian captain saying in a defensive tone. "We are not a mistake." Then Wrex wanders over to the edge of the beach.

Kirrahe looks at the krogan walking away and then mutters to Shepard. "Is he going to be a problem? We already have enough angry krogan to deal with."

"He'll be fine. I'll go talk to him." Shepard assured Kirrahe.

"I'd appreciate that, Commander." Kirrahe said. "My men and I need to rethink our plan of attack. Can you give us some time?"

"Go ahead, Captain. I'll come back soon." Shepard walked away with Neo, Ashley, and Kaiden following behind.

Kaiden told Shepard. "Looks like things are a bit of a mess."

Ashley added. "Yeah. I wouldn't be so worried if it weren't for Wrex. He looks like he's going to blow a gasket."

Shepard said. "Think I should go talk to him?"

"It wouldn't hurt." Ashley realized that she contradicted herself. "Well, it might actually. Just do it carefully."

Shepard took a deep breath calmly strolled along the beach. Before Shepard could think of something to say to the furious krogan, Neo approached Shepard's side.

"Shepard." Neo said. "I was hoping we could avoid this confrontation with Wrex, but I guess now is better than having him find out while we're storming the facility. Imagine what would've happened if he discovered those cloning pods."

"I agree, but I need to know now if he'll fall in." Shepard takes a deep breath. "I never had to talk down a krogan before, have you?"

"Well… no." Neo confessed as Shepard shakes his head. Neo tries to lighten the mood by saying. "First time for everything, right?"

"Yeah, I suppose you're right." Shepard looked around. "In case I can't convince him, I want to give you a signal. I need for you to watch him and make sure he doesn't kill me."

"I know what to do." Neo said as he is about to walk away. "At least we saw this coming, right? I hope we're prepared enough." Then Neo walks away, presumably at a safe visual distance as he readied his assault rifle.

When Neo told him that last sentence, Shepard mind crawled back to a certain memory. It was the time he and Tali saw the Oracle.

Shepard stopped and looked at Wrex. Then he can hear the Oracle's voice repeating in his mind when she talked about the krogan. _"However, I also see changes coming their way as long as you take good care of your fellow crewmember, Wrex."_

Shepard kept moving forward as he saw Wrex standing by the beach looking out towards the water. Suddenly Wrex pulled out his shotgun and shot a round in the water. Then Shepard froze for a minute and recalls another thing the Oracle said to him. _"You don't try. You just do. You survived Akuze, because you do. You're a great soldier out on the field, because you do. You're a leader, because you do. You have that ability to be the man you are not because of the Matrix and not because you try"_ Shepard listens to what she had to say again. _"You just do."_ Shepard swallowed his fear and walks towards Wrex.

"This isn't right, Shepard." Wrex spat. "If there's a cure for the genophage, we can't destroy it." Wrex looked at Shepard, holsters his shotgun, and slowly approached him.

Shepard replied. "I understand that you're upset. But we both know that Saren is the real enemy here. He's the one you should be angry with."

"Really?" Wrex anger began to focus on the commander. "Saren created a cure for my people. You want to destroy it."

Wrex's next sentence made the adrenaline and fear pump through Shepard's veins as Wrex's eyes narrowed. "Help me out here, Shepard. The lines between friend and foe is getting a little blurry from where I stand."

Shepard's fear turned to calculated anger when he lashed back at the krogan. "This isn't a cure, it's a weapon. And if Saren is allowed to use it, you won't be around to reap the benefits. None of us will."

Wrex countered. "That's the chance we should be willing to take. This is the fate of my entire people we're talking about." Wrex got his face closer to Shepard's face. "If you can't give me a better reason than this to destroy the hopes of my people, then I'm done with you."

Then Wrex steps back and pulls out his pistol as Shepard quickly pulls out his shotgun. Now the two warriors were at a standoff and one was waiting for the other to make the first move.

"I can't let you jeopardize the mission." Shepard calmly replies.

"So that's it." Wrex said. "So all this time and that's what I get from you? Hell, you've been better to me than my father and your race seems to treat ours better than the other races, but how can you not see what this means to the krogan? This base cannot be destroyed. I won't allow it!"

In a split second decision, Shepard decided to put away his shotgun. While Wrex still had his pistol aimed at Shepard, Shepard just takes in a deep breath. "Because she wanted me to take care of you."

Wrex's anger turned to confusion. "What?"

"The Oracle." Shepard repeated what he told him. "She told me to take care of you."

Wrex slightly lowered his pistol. "Why?"

Shepard moved closer to the krogan. "When I last visited the Matrix. The Oracle. She told me to take care of you. She told me that she sees changes coming for the krogan, but it involves keeping you alive and I don't want to kill you."

Wrex gave what Shepard some thought as he continues to lower his pistol further away from Shepard's direction.

Shepard continued. "As for the krogan in this facility, these krogan are not your people. These krogan are slaves of Saren. Puppets, tools to be used and discarded. Is that what you want for your people?"

Wrex paused for a few seconds. His response was. "No. We were tools for the Council once. To thank us for wiping out the rachni, they neutered us all. I doubt Saren will be just as generous." Wrex gave what he said to Shepard some thought. Then he holstered his pistol. "All right, Shepard. You've made your point. I don't like this, but I trust you enough to follow your lead. Just one thing. When we find Saren, I want his head." Wrex looked back at the water and as Shepard was about to leave, Wrex said. "This Oracle of yours, said changes are coming for the krogan? Is it for greatness or extiction?"

"She thinks it depends on if you live or not." Shepard said. "She thinks that you have the power to change their future. I don't know. Her predictions have always been a bit vague to me."

"Maybe I could meet this Oracle of yours someday." Wrex said as Shepard walked away.

* * *

Neo saw what just went down, but exhaled a deep sigh of relief when he saw Shepard walking away. He pressed a button that collapsed his assault rifle and he slung it on his back.

Neo looks at Shepard and said quietly to himself. "I guess the boy scout method does work." Then he looks over at the camp and saw Captain Kirrahe lining up his troops. "Now we have some bigger fish to fry."


	29. Chapter 29

**CHAPTER 29**

* * *

Shepard was breathing a little easier now since he alleviated a dangerous situation with his krogan crew member. When Shepard returned to see Captain Kirrahe, Ashley, and Kaiden were sharing his relief. They were congratulating Shepard on calming down Wrex, but now they had to handle their next big task by destroying Saren's facility.

Neo was just returning from his perch from where he was keeping an eye on Shepard. He decided not to call attention to where he was, because he didn't want Wrex finding out he had him in the cross-hairs of his assault rifle if the argument between Shepard and Wrex went sour.

Now Captain Kirrahe wanted to discuss the plans for storming the base with the remaining Special Tasks Group and told Shepard what he plans to do. "We can convert our ship's drive system into a twenty kiloton ordinance. Crude, but effective."

Ashley smiled at the notion. "Nice. Drop that nuke from orbit and Saren can kiss his turian ass goodbye."

"Unfortunately, the facility is well to fortified for that." Kirrahe explained. "Well need to place the bomb in a precise location."

"Where do we take the nuke." Shepard asked. "And how do we get there?"

"The bomb must be taken to the far side of the facility." Kirrahe pointed out. "Your ship can drop it off, but we'll need to infiltrate the base, disable the AA guns, and pacify any ground forces first."

Kaiden spoke up. "You want us to go in on foot? We don't have enough men."

"It does sound a bit risky." Shepard said. "Is there no other way?"

"No, but I think we can work around that." Kirrahe confessed. "I'm going to divide my men into three teams and hit the front of the facility. While we've got their attention, you can sneak your _shadow_ team in the back."

"I like that plan." Neo complimented Kirrahe. "Create a diversion."

Shepard wasn't too thrilled with the idea as he looked at Neo. Shepard looked back at Kirrahe. "It's a good idea, but your people are going to get slaughtered."

If the salarian could make readable facial remarks, Kirrahe would make a mixed look of pride and shame on his face. "We're tougher than we look, Commander. But it's true. I don't expect many of us will make it out alive. And that what makes what I'm going to ask even more difficult. I need one of your men to accompany me, to help coordinate the teams."

Shepard nods his head. "We'll need someone who knows Alliance communication protocols."

"I volunteer, Commander." Kaiden spoke up.

"Not so fast LT." Ashley stopped Kaiden. "Commander Shepard will need you to arm the nuke. I'll go with the salarians."

Suddenly Neo became uneasy at the thought of Ashley willing to volunteer to take on a dangerous task with little chance of survival. Suddenly a sliver of fear was creeping up on him and now he was remembering why he didn't want to get close to anyone on high risk missions. Now the thoughts of history repeating itself from his mission with Trinity is ringing through his head. _No!_ Neo thought to himself. _Fear is the enemy. Fear must be conquered. I must not fear for Ashley. Opportunity will provide a way._

Kaiden looked at Ashley and scowled at her. "With all due respect, Gunnery Chief, it's not your place to decide."

Ashley raised her shoulders and looked away from the Lieutenant. "Why is it that whenever someone says _'with all due respect'_ they really mean _'kiss my ass?'_

Shepard was getting a little annoyed with the petty argument that was about to form. He broke up the potential scuffle by making a subtle raise in his voice. "Who would be better suited to the mission?"

"Either of them will do." Kirrahe told Shepard. "Both seem willing to sacrifice their lives if necessary, though we are lucky, such sacrifices won't be required."

Shepard turned his head to his left. "Williams, you'll accompany the Captain. No heroics."

When Kirrahe mentioned _sacrifice_, it made Neo a little uneasy again. Now Shepard chose Ashley which made him more uneasy. Then Neo had an idea when he looked over to his side and went to retrieve something special.

"I will have the ordinance loaded onto the Normandy and brief your crew on its detonation sequencing." Kirrahe said. "Do you have any questions?"

Kirrahe's Omni-tool lit up and Neo's voice was transferring through. "Actually I have a question, Captain."

The ground shook slightly and they heard the clanking sound of metal approaching Kirrahe, Shepard, Kaiden, and Ashley. The APU came to a complete stop and the cockpit doors opened. Neo flew out of the cockpit and stood before Kirrahe.

"What kind of artillery are you bringing along to this assault of yours?" Neo just smirked after asking his question.

"What do you plan on doing with the APU?" Shepard asked.

Neo raised his eyebrows to Ashley to hint an inside joke he was about to make. "All do respect, Commander, _no ass kissing intended_, I prefer the more swift approach to this attack, but if you insist of sending the Gunnery Chief with the Captain and his men on this frontal assault, then she can use the APU as heavy support. Can she use it?"

"Of course." Shepard nods. "They're going to need all the fire power they can get."

Ashley smiled at the sight of the APU being used for the assault, because she agrees with Shepard's statement. The APU will be useful, especially when Saren's army consists of geth and now an army of krogan clones.

Neo pulled Ashley away from the three other men and gave her the full rundown of how the APU works. She climbed in the cockpit while Neo stood next to her side pointing to the controls.

"It's pretty damn simple, really." Neo said. "This thing is practically the precursor to the Mako, only you'll be walking and possibly jumping. This thing was built during the Human/Machine war and the orders to make mechanized weapons in short time were made simple to operate during those trying times, so the controls are so simple even a lobotomized vorcha could operate it."

"Don't worry, Neo. I'm a marine." Ashley said with a smile. "I can adapt."

"Glad to hear that." Neo continued with his lesson and talked at a relatively fast pace. "This thing moves as fast as you walk so basically _you_ are the motor that moves the APU. Those two handles above you is what moves the arms and there you will find the trigger buttons that activate the guns and the cannon is on the right side above the machine gun trigger. Now these are the new features." Neo points to the small control panel in front of Ashley. "That button labeled there is your boost in case you need to make a jump. This is the control level of your boosting power, depending on the height of the jump. This is your kinetic field button, trust me you will need it to keep you safe in this cockpit. Finally, remember that Omni-feature this thing has?"

"I heard it was a blade?" Ashley asked. "I heard you used it on Therum."

"That's the Omni-blade." Neo pointed to the button. "In case Saren's army get a little too close to you, you could use the blade as a melee weapon. Just hit the button and after the blade forms, swing away. Any questions, Chief?"

"No that's it." Ashley told Neo while cracking a wide grin.

Neo couldn't help but smile as well, but the silence between the two was interrupted by a speech being made by Captain Kirrahe. Both Neo and Ashley looked at the salarian addressing the troops and Neo can hear Kirrahe utter the words _We held the line._

"I always liked his speech." Neo said as he looked at the salarian Captain. "I like it, but sometimes I wish he'd get new material." Then he turned to face Ashley. "Just take care of yourself out there, Ash. Keep me… I mean us posted as often as possible. I mean not that I wouldn't mind you keeping me posted, but… well, uh."

Neo suddenly found himself babbling again like he did back on the Normandy after his poetry read-off with Ashley. Then Ashley did something he did not see coming. She gave him quick kiss on the lips. Then she pulled back.

"What was that for?" Neo asked sheepishly.

"For luck." Ashley smiled. "And because, you look like you could use it."

Neo smiled back and his eyes narrowed at the Chief. Feeling a little bold, he placed his left hand over her cheek and he pulled her face to his face. They closed their eyes as he pressed his lips over hers. Neo slid his tongue between Ashley's lips and freely probed the inside of her mouth. Neo loudly inhaled and exhaled through his nostrils while Ashley moaned lightly. They stopped when they needed to let up for air. They stared at each other with intensity in their eyes while they were touching forehead to forehead.

Then the moment was interrupted when they heard a suggestive coughing sound. They turned to see Shepard placing his right hand over his mouth.

"Commander." Ashley military bearing took over.

"Shepard." Neo said as well.

"Chief. Neo." Shepard said. "I'm just letting you two know that Captain Kirrahe's men is ready to go."

Ashley replied. "Aye, aye, sir. I'm just getting ready. Agent Neo is prepping me up." Ashley closed her eyes when she made an unintended innuendo between herself and Neo.

"I can see that." Shepard smiled to a point of slight laughter. "Just get what you need to do to get ready and you will be relaying communications among Kirrahe's men."

"Right, sir." Ashley said as Shepard walked back to the other members of Shepard's team. Ashley looked at Neo and smiled. "Well, now I have a reason to come back."

Neo looked at Ashley again. "Just remember what the commander said. No heroics."

"Don't worry, Thomas." Ashley said to him, now using his first name. "I'll be alright. When I get back, well…" She smiled as she raised her eyebrows in a suggestive manner. "Let's just say I'm _not just _a hellcat on the battlefield."

Neo gave Ashley one last kiss and hopped down from the APU.

The APU's kinetic barrier was activated and Ashley began walking towards Captain Kirrahe. She was a little clumsy walking towards the STG unit, but she quickly adapted and she corrected her steering.

Shepard and Neo checked their gear along with Garrus, Kaiden, Liara, Tali, and Wrex while the servicemen from the Normandy came out of the ship and carried the STG's makeshift nuclear bomb into the cargo hold.

Shepard and his group walked towards a series of large rock formation. Captain Kirrahe told him that this was a back entrance into the facility. It was heavily guarded, but with STG providing the distraction, this area's defenses will hopefully be diverted to the main force storming the facility. Having Ashley using the APU will definitely add to the grand distraction.

* * *

Saren looked at his data pad and issued the latest orders of krogan clones being loaded on a few geth ships. When he finalized the shipment, he was informed of some rather disturbing news from the office's comm link by his asari assistant Rana Thanoptis.

"Saren, sir?" Rana said.

"Yes?" Saren replied dryly.

"The STG forces has launched an attack." Rana urgently told Saren.

Saren's anger was boiling over, but he lashed out by asking his assistant. "Where is the attack coming from!?"

"The main entrance." Rana responded. "They hacked into the gate's controls and stormed the facility. They have a mechanism of unknown origin assisting."

"Unknown origin?" Saren moved to a video screen and used a voice command to activate the surveillance camera. "Show the main gate."

When the image of the front gate showed, Saren could see numerous salarians charging in with their weapons drawn and opening fire. The salarians were being aided by what look like a walking mech. When he got a closer look, he realized that it didn't belong to STG.

"Neo." Saren growled as he walked over to the comm link and barked out his order. "Divert all available forces at the main gate." He huffs in anger as he leaves his office. "I'm going to take care of this personally."

* * *

The facility was massive, bearing the flat metal walls and bearing a white color. It was obviously brand new, because the infrastructure hasn't succumb to the elements of nature. If this facility had been up for twenty or thirty years prior, the salty air coming from the ocean would have made its mark and possibly made the structure weaker. Unfortunately for the team storming this facility, this had been built by the geth which meant that this building might have been built in haste, but built at full efficiency.

When the STG and Ashley pushed through the first gate, the full sight of the facility was not what they had expected. The facility was not made of metal, but of reinforced concrete. Ashley just took one look and realized that this is why the STG couldn't just simply drop a nuclear payload on top of this compound. If one were to do that, the facility would only suffer minimal damage. Not to mention that the fallout will have no effect on geth or krogan.

Ashley's mission right now was simple. Use the APU to take out any enemy forces that come close to her or the salarian soldiers coming at them. She could feel the roar of the APU's machine guns tearing down geth garrisons carefully placed over secured area of the compound. The APU was actually quite helpful with assisting the salarian commandos.

Ashley told herself. "So this is what it must've been like during the Human/Machine war."

"What did you say?" Kirrahe spoke on the communicator and realizing that others can hear what she just said.

Trying to divert away from what she said. "I said… there's a sniper's nest on top of that wall. Using the cannon."

Ashley activated the cannon's control and pressed to fire. A powerful pulse emitted from the tube and flew towards a large geth position on a heighten sniper's nest.

"Thank you, Chief." Kirrahe said. "You're assistance is helping us out greatly."

"Flattery will get you everywhere, Captain." Ashley replied. "Just imagine what it could have been without Neo's APU."

"It's best not to think of those things." Kirrahe said. "More geth incoming!"

* * *

Shepard gunned down another geth soldier while it was guarding a walkway. Kaiden and himself moved up the path when they reached to what looks like a platform for aircraft. This was a landing port for the flying geth drones. Shepard could tell, because of the large fuel tanks and the hovering drones that stay and wait.

Shepard checked his assault rifle and switched to incendiary ammunition. He aimed at one of the tanks and opened fire. The bullet holes created dripping green fluid and caught the attention of the drones. Before the drones could open fire, Shepard unleashed another round on the green puddle. Sparks from the incendiary ammunition made contact with the green puddle and fire instantly consumed the landing pad. The fire spread towards the tanks and then a fireball ensued. The geth drones were engulfed in the flames and that was when they all knew the drones were neutralized.

"Nice shot, Commander!" Kaiden grinned.

Shepard didn't remark on the compliment, he just said. "Let's get back to the others."

Shepard and Kaiden ran back to a relay point where Neo, Liara, Garrus, Tali, and Wrex were holding their ground as geth soldiers and a few krogan came charging towards their direction.

"Welcome back!" Neo said as he kept picking off targets.

"Did you stop the flying geth drones?" Liara asked as she kept firing at her targets.

"Yeah and now we move out!" Shepard ordered. "There's a research facility up ahead!"

"From there we can cut the alarms." Neo said as he looked at the map on his Omni-tool. "We can ease the pressure for Ashley and Kirrahe."

"Let's do it." Shepard said.

* * *

Ashley was using the APU to its full function to maintain suppression of another mob of krogans charging towards her and Kirrahe's men. So far the APU has been keeping the remaining members of STG alive and she has been grinning like a maniac for what must've been fifteen minutes. This mechanical tool, being operated by a skilled marine, giving support to the most elusive commando unit in the galaxy was probably the deadliest fighting force in the Traverse.

When the hordes stopped coming, Ashley and the other salarians came across a wall. One of the salarians activated his Omni-tool and told Kirrahe of what was already behind the wall.

Kirrahe walked up to the APU and pressed a comm link to talk to her inside the cockpit. "Chief. The breeding facility is close by. The only major obstacle we have right now is this wall. We have to get through, but Agent Neo's mech cannot fit through the pathways. I'm afraid you will have to abandon the mech."

Before Ashley tried to politely tell Kirrahe to _piss off_, She remembered the thrusters on the APU. "Wait a minute, Captain. Is there a ledge on top of that wall?"

"Yes." Kirrahe answered. "But how are you planning to climb this wall? It must be 50 feet tall."

Ashley increased the power of the thrusters. "Captain, I'm getting up there like this. Back up." She said as she pressed the button.

The powerful blast from the APU's thrusters launched the mechanical body like a rocket launching from a platform. She broke enough gravity to find herself on the same level as the wall's top ledge and as she was close enough, she landed safely on the walkway.

"I made it." Ashley stated as she realized that she got a nice view of Saren's compound. She was able to see the research facility where she knows where Shepard, Neo, Kaiden, Tali, Liara, Wrex, and Garrus were fighting through. She can also see the breeding facility, separated by what looked like a big retention pool. "Captain. I can see the cloning facility from up here and the landing zone we're going to use."

"Can you also see the AA guns which is keeping the Normandy from landing?" Kirrahe asked.

Ashley looked around, then she saw it. Four barrels was in view and its guns pointed towards the sky. "I see them."

"How powerful is that cannon on that APU?" Kirrahe asked.

"Pretty powerful, why?" Ashley asked while she studied the turret.

Kirrahe explained. "If you can neutralize the guns from your position using that cannon, this will save us manpower. We won't have to do it ourselves."

"Won't the guns attack me if I open fire on those targets?" Ashley asked. "I'll be a sitting duck up here."

"Those guns should be automated and only programmed to target air and spacecraft. You should be alright." Kirrahe tried to comfort her.

"I'll take care of it." Ashley confidently said as she zeroed in on the target. Then she muttered to herself. "You better be right, amphibian."

She fired a cannon round and the round punched through two of the barrels. The other two barrels remained intact, but the turret swiveled to the left. Then the barrels took aim at the APU.

Ashley was waiting for the cannon to cool down so she can fire another round, but in her sense of panic she said to herself. "Hurry up and cool down. It's getting ready to fire." When the cannon's temperature meter told her that all conditions were normal. She pressed the cannon's button again.

When the pulse came out of the APU's cannon, the two remaining AA guns opened fire. The APU's round connected with the AA guns and the turret was destroyed, but not before the AA's round hit the APU.

* * *

After encountering numerous geth, cloned krogan, and indoctrinated salarians; Shepard, Neo, Kaiden, Tali, Liara, Wrex, and Garrus entered what looked like an office. The room was vastly empty. The only thing this room had was a couple of terminals, two large windows with a view of the facility, and a desk in the corner. Under that desk was an asari hiding from whoever was coming through that door.

The asari stood up from behind the desk. "Don't shoot. I just want to get out of here before it's too late."

"I'm not going to hurt you." Shepard said while he and everyone else lowered their weapons. "Who are you?"

"Rana Thanoptis, neurospecialist." The asari said. "But this job isn't worth dying over. Or worse. You think the indoctrination only affects prisoners? Sooner or later, Saren will want to dissect my brain, too."

"What are you talking about?" Neo asked.

"I know." Shepard agreed with Neo. "I thought this was a breeding facility."

Rana began to explain. "Not this level. We're studying Sovereign's effect on organic minds. At least, that's what I assumed. Saren kept us in the dark as much as possible."

Kaiden interjected. "You helped him and you didn't even know why?"

"I didn't have the option of negotiation." Rana explained. "This position is a little more… permanent than I'd expected."

While she was explaining herself to Shepard, Neo casually strode to the desk and he looked at the computer terminal. Then he pulled out the same small black box he used on Eden Prime. He connected the round joint into the computer and he looked at the screen with utter fascination.

As Neo was gathering up as much information as he could, Rana was making her deal. "But I can help you. This door behind me goes to an elevator which will take you to Saren's private lab. I can get you in." She walks over to the door by the desk, ignoring Neo. She access the code and the door's light turned green. "See? Full access. Saren's private files…"

Neo interrupted Nara as he continued looking at the computer feed. "No need. I got Saren's files right here and then some. Shepard, she's not much use."

Then Nara began to panic as if she was about to be killed. "What? No. Please don't do anything to me."

Shepard just lifted his hands at Nara signaling her to stop. "Relax. Nothing is going to happen to you. Just tell me what you were researching."

"Oh, right." Nara collected herself. "It's that ship, Sovereign. It emits some kind of… signal. Undetectable, but it's there. I've seen the effects. Saren uses it to influence his followers, to control them. It's indoctrination. Direct exposure to the signal turns you into a mindless slave, like the salarian test subjects. But there's collateral damage, too."

"There's no need for you to dive into this further, Shepard." Neo said. "I got all that information right here."

"Well then." Shepard gave Nara a serious look as she became nervous. "There's one thing to do now. I'm going to blow this place up to hell and gone. If you want to make it out alive, you better start running."

Then Nara began to panic. "What? You can't… but I'll never…" Then she ran off screaming.

Kaiden looked at Shepard. "You enjoyed that, didn't you?"

Shepard snickered at the remark and walked over to Neo. "What did you find out?"

Neo told Shepard. "Things about the indoctrination, collateral damage, Saren's interest, and Sovereign's signal. I'm collecting the info right now."

"Be quick." Shepard told Neo. "We'll be outside."

Shepard, Kaiden, Liara, Tali, Garrus, and Wrex stepped outside. Then Neo looked around to make sure they left. He pulled out his small black box and looked at it with such seriousness.

Neo spoke quietly to himself. "And one cure to the genophage." Then he puts his box away and catches up to the rest of the group. Then he taps on his comm link. "Ash. Ash can you hear me? What's your status? Ash!"


	30. Chapter 30

**CHAPTER 30  
**

* * *

Ashley was seeing stars. Her head was swirling from the recent blast she took from the AA guns. By all accounts, she should be dead. The historical codex said that the APU was originally constructed without any reasonable form of protection from the operator. Often one would hear the horror stories during the Human/Machine war of machines ripping people out of the APU and stressing the word _ripping._ The APU operators were yanked out of their windowless cockpits with their arms and legs left inside while the machines toyed with the screaming human torso, poking and prying their brains and using them as batteries… if they didn't bleed out first.

Ashley can hear a familiar faint sound on the comm link. "_Ash. Ash can you hear me? What's your status? Ash!_"

Ashley's consciousness was returning to normal when she also remembered the upgrades Neo had mentioned before when her brought the APU and the Sentinels on board the Normandy. The cockpit's kinetic barriers were part of that upgrade along with reinforced glass canopy protecting the operator. She now realized that she just took a hit, but the upgrades saved her life.

_What about the APU?_ Ashley thought to herself as she did a systems check. The APU was damaged, but still functional. The cannon was damaged so now she will have to rely on the machine gun pistols.

Then she straddled the APU back in its upright walking position. When she made sure that her body and the APU was still functioning, someone spoke through the comm link again.

A different voice joined in. "_Chief Williams, are you there? Answer me!_"

Then Ashley recognized the voice. _Shepard._ Ashley grabbed the comm link. "I'm here. Don't worry. I just took hit from an AA cannon. The APU lost its cannon, but its not out of the fight yet. Those upgrades held through."

"_Yes they did._" Neo replied by joining in the short conversation.

"_What's the situation right now?_" Shepard asked.

"I just took care of one of the AA guns, the Normandy should be able to land safely without being shot down." Ashley said.

"_Keep the pressure on the geth._" Shepard ordered. "_You're doing great, Chief._"

"Aye, aye, Commander." Ashley said and then she said to herself. "He probably wouldn't think it will be so great if I kill, Kirrahe." Ash now remembered that it was Kirrahe who ordered her to shoot at the cannons and said that they weren't going to target her.

* * *

Shepard, Kaiden, Garrus, Liara, Tali, and Wrex approached the elevator which Saren's assistant, Rana Thanpotis had helped them give access to. Shepard held the door open as Neo was the last to enter. Shepard looked at the illuminating lit button and the button suggested that this elevator only went in one direction. Up.

The elevator took them all to Saren's private laboratory. It was a unique security feature intended for a select few who were only allowed into the lab. For all they knew, only Thanpotis was the only one allowed in the lab and quite possibly the former Matriarch Benezia was given such an invitation. The obvious secrecy only implied that Saren was hiding something up on this tower.

When they entered the lab, it was large enough to house two sets of catwalk balconies. The top row was filled with red illuminated computer panels attached to the wall on one rise, which looks eerily similar to the Petitioner's Stand back on the Presidium where more lit panels reside. When they looked at the lower balcony, they found another familiar sight.

"Look." Neo pointed out. "It's a another Prothean Beacon just like back on Eden Prime."

"So Saren had another beacon in his possesion." Liara said with a combination of anger and awe.

Shepard didn't pay attention to the two's comments. He just simply approached the beacon and as he saw the illuminated green control panel, he pressed a few buttons. Then the beacon lit up like the other beacon did back on Eden Prime. Shepard was levitated from the grated iron floor while being bombarded by the similar images he was subjected to see back on Eden Prime. The only difference between this encounter and the last was Shepard was able to handle the visions without stress on his mind and the risk of falling into unconsciousness.

When the images ceased, his body was gently returned to the ground and he just shrugged off what he saw.

Neo approached Shepard along with Liara. He asked the Commander. "Are you alright?"

Shepard said. "I'm fine."

"What did you see this time?" Neo asked.

Shepard tried to lighten the mood a bit by saying. "Nothing that we haven't seen before."

While Shepard, Neo, and Liara were pondering what had happened; Kaiden and Tali were working the control panel on the stand while Wrex and Garrus observed what they were doing. When Shepard arrived to see what they had learned, a new holographic image appeared.

"I got the feeling that something bad is about to happen." Tali said while hinting her concern.

The red light holographic image that appeared before the group was a familiar image. It was the same arthropod ship where they first encountered on Eden Prime. Now they know what this is the actual flagship Saren traveled on and its name was Sovereign.

"**You are not Saren.**" The voice spoke in an emotionless monotone voice that sound metallic and the echoing of a thousands of voices. The closest Shepard could associate that voice with is when one has to speak to the Matrix.

"What is that?" Tali asked. "Some kind of V.I. interface?"

The monotone voice spoke again. "**Rudimentary creatures of blood and flesh. You touch my mind, fumbling in ignorance, incapable of understanding.**"

"I don't think this is a V.I." Kaiden said.

"**There is a realm of existence so far beyond your own, you cannot even imagine it. I am beyond your comprehension. I am Sovereign.**" The voice declared.

Everyone came to a similar conclusion, but it was Shepard that spoke out first. "Sovereign isn't just some Reaper ship Saren found. It's an actual Reaper!"

The image now named Sovereign replied. "**Reaper? A label created by the Protheans to give voice to their destruction. In the end, what they choose to call us is irrelevant. We simply are.**"

Liara blurted out. "The Protheans vanished 50,000 years ago. You could not have been there. It is impossible!"

Sovereign spoke up again. "**Organic life is nothing but a genetic mutation, an accident. Your lives are measured in years and decades. You wither and die.**"

Shepard had a sense of déjà vu. The last time he recalled hearing something similar was when he was in the Matrix. He then recalled the words from the Agent Smith program. _'The only thing humans are the equivalent of… is a virus. Their purpose is to multiply and consume. Then they spread to other worlds only to multiply and consume. When humans discover other alien beings out in the galaxy, they only discovered other viruses which also multiply and consume. Each is a different brand of virus.'_ Shepard recalled the memory and shakes his head.

Sovereign continued. "**We are eternal. The pinnacle of evolution and existence. Before us, you are nothing. Your extinction is inevitable. We are the end of everything.**"

Shepard spoke up. "There is an entire galaxy of races united and ready to face you!"

"**Confidence born of ignorance.**" Sovereign said, but now he said something that both Shepard and Neo didn't expect. "**Your type of species is an abomination human.**"

"What?" Neo eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about?"

Sovereign explained. "**You humans, the ones who refer themselves as **_**podborns **_**knows the workings of a machine, yet the Matrix commits an abomination of its very existence by merging with organics. It chooses to limit its strength of power by the weakness of its flesh.**" Sovereign paused a moment, then continued. "**The Matrix will know the full power of our existence as well all beings in the galaxy. The cycle cannot be broken.**"

"Cycle?" Garrus asked. "What cycle?"

"**The pattern has repeated itself more times than you can fathom.**" Sovereign said. "**Organic civilizations rise, evolve, advance. And at the apex of their glory, they are extinguished. The Protheans were not the first. They did not create the Citadel. They did not forge the mass relays. They merely found them, the legacy of my kind.**"

Shepard shakes his head. "Why would you construct the mass relays then leave them for someone else to find?"

"**Your civilization is based on the technology of the mass relays, our technology.**" Sovereign said. "**By using it, your society develops along the path we desire. We impose order on the chaos of organic evolution. You exist because we allow it and you will end because we demand it.**"

It would seem that Neo spoke up for everyone when he said. "Holy shit. To them our galaxy is one huge farm. And we're the crops they harvest for their boon."

"What do you want from us?" Shepard demanded. "Slaves? Resources?"

"**My kind transcends your very understanding.**" Sovereign said. "**We are each a nation. Independent, free of all weakness. You cannot even grasp the nature of our existence.**"

"Where did you come from?" Shepard asked. "Who built you?"

Sovereign explained. "**We have no beginning. We have no end. We are infinite. Millions of years after your civilization has been eradicated and forgotten, we will endure.**"

"Where are the rest of the Reapers?" Shepard asked a different question, but this time it was a little more steer than the last question. "Are you the last of your kind?"

"**We are legion.**" Sovereign answered but his next response was quite unnerving. "**The time of our return is coming. Our numbers will darken the sky of every world. You cannot escape your doom.**"

Shepard just narrowed his gaze at the hologram. "You're not even alive. Not really. You're just a machine. And machines can be broken."

"**Your words are as empty as your future. I am the vanguard of your destruction. This exchange is over.**" When Sovereign's image faded away, the windows on the far right were blasted out by what appeared to be an explosion of some sort.

When the smoke cleared and the group collected themselves, Joker called in. "_Commander? We got trouble!_"

"Hit me, Joker." Shepard said.

Joker explained to Shepard with a hint of distress in his voice. "_That ship, Sovereign? It's moving. I don't know what you did down there, but that thing just pulled a turn that would shear any of our ships in half_." Joker took a deep breath and spoke again. "_It's coming your way and it's coming hard! You need to wrap things up in there. Fast!_"

"Let's get to the breeding facility." Neo suggested. "Let's finish this."

* * *

Ashley was reunited with other members of the Special Task Group. Captain Kirrahe had personally took a small number of his men on a mission to create suppression support to aid the main body of STG.

Ashley was pouting, because she wanted to verbally abuse the Captain for almost getting her killed, but her discipline took over and she focused on their newest task. Ashley was given the task of leading the main force of STG to take out the main AA guns.

It wasn't easy, but Ashley managed to get the APU up towards the tower. Their position was in place and now they were able to disable the main computer hub which controlled all the AA towers in the facility.

When the team shut down the defense computer, Ashley gave out the orders. "Now, we have to maintain a defensive perimeter! We just shut down a major outlet and I know we're going to be getting a lot of attention in just a few minutes! Stay sharp!"

"_Chief Williams._" Kirrahe called in on her comm link. "_The Normandy has just landed and now is in the final stages of its mission. However, I must inform you that we have witnessed a large number of geth and krogan coming towards your position. We were unable to stop them._"

"They're already here!" Ashley bluntly said. "We'll hold them down, Captain! Just do what you have to do!"

When she turned to the side, she could see rows and rows of geth and krogan coming up the ramps. She looks down briefly and takes a deep sigh. Then she raises her left hand and produces a picture of her family. It was an old family portrait of her father, mother, her two sisters, and herself when she was just a teenager.

"If I don't make it…" Ashley shakes her head. "I hope to get to read Tennyson to you again, dad." She armed the APU and took aim and she fired.

As she kept firing at her targets, she recited her father's favorite poem. "_I cannot rest from travel. I will drink life to the lees._" She mowed down a row of geth soldiers."_All times I have enjoyed greatly, have suffered greatly_…" She dodged a rocket blast. "_…both with those that loved me, and alone; on shore, and when through scudding drifts the rainy Hyades._"

When Ashley saw a geth armature approach, she focused her fire on the geth's head. She managed to take out the synthetic, but not before the synthetic tank knocked out the APU's lower left leg. The APU was slumped on its side and badly damaged, but Ashley kept the right gun firing towards the approaching enemies. Ashley kept firing while she got on the comm link to Shepard.

* * *

Kaiden and another serviceman carried the mushroom-like device down from the Normandy's cargo hold. The minute the bomb was in place, Kaiden activated the device.

Then Shepard got a call on the comm link. "_Commander, can you read me?_"

Shepard responds. "The nuke is almost ready. Get to the rendezvous point, Williams!"

"_Negative, Commander!_" Ashley told him. "_Neo's APU is damaged and the geth have us pinned down on the AA tower! We're taking casualties! We'll never make the rendezvous point on time!_"

Shepard changed strategies. "Get them out of there, Joker! Now!"

Ashley spoke out. "_Negative! It's too hot! Can't risk it! We'll hold them off as long as we…_" Then the connection feed was cut off.

Kaiden looked at Shepard. "It's okay, Commander. I need a couple of minutes to finish arming the bomb. Go get them and meet me back here."

Shepard agreed to the idea, so he gave Kaiden a simple pat on the shoulder and picked the remaining crew at his side. He picked Neo, Garrus, and Tali to come along and help rescue Ashley and the remaining STG who are trapped up at the AA tower.

Shepard, Neo, Garrus, and Tali plowed through the actual cloning facility where numerous krogan were being _born_. When someone suggested the old saying 'born with a gun in their hands' didn't have this facility in mind, because the krogan coming out of the cloning pods were already armed with a shotgun and armor.

When the AA towers were in view, Garrus pointed out something flying towards where they left the bomb. "Damn. Geth are sending in reinforcements."

Ashley called to Shepard. "_Heads up, L-T. We just spotted a troop ship headed to your location._"

Kaiden's voice commented on the ship's arrival. "_It's already here. There's geth pouring out all over the bomb site._"

While Shepard was trying to figure out what the next plan of action was going to be, Neo just began to fidget with nervousness and frustration.

Shepard looked over the ledge and he can see where the geth ship landed and where the Normandy left a minute ago. Then he looks over to his left and he can see the very AA tower where Ashley was fighting off a wave of geth and krogan soldiers.

Shepard spoke into his comm link. "Can you hold them off?"

"_There's too many!_" Kaiden said. "_I don't think we can survive until you get here!_" Then Kaiden said something that made Shepard quivered. "_I'm activating the bomb!_"

"Alenko, what are you doing?" Shepard demanded.

"_I'm just making sure this bomb goes off!_" Kaiden said. "_No matter what!_" A moment of silence passed. "_It's done, Commander! Go get Williams and get the hell out of here!_"

Ashley interfered and yelled in protest. "_Screw that! We can handle ourselves! Go back and get Alenko!_"

Nobody could believe what they were hearing. Each was willing to die, but this choice was being left on Shepard's lap. Neo was shaking his head in disbelief, but then out of nowhere a thought came to Neo's mind.

Neo turned his head around and he saw what Shepard was about to do. He was about to make a choice to save either Kaiden by the bombsite or Ashley at the AA tower. Neo moved as fast as he could to stop Shepard and those few moments felt like and eternity.

"Wait!" Neo held his hands up. "I have an idea!"

"What is it?" Garrus said.

"Shepard." Neo looked at the commander. "Here's what you'll do. You, Garrus and Tali get Alenko. I'll get Williams."

"Not without backup?" Tali asked. "How?"

"I got that covered!" Neo said as ran towards the AA towers. "Just get Kaiden!" While running towards the towers he called up the Normandy. "Joker!"

"_Yeah?_" Joker answered.

"Open the Normandy's cargo bay doors and keep them open!" Neo said as he ran up towards a rise.

"_What for?_" Joker asked.

"A rescue!" Neo said. "Just open the door!"

"_Alright._" Joker said. "_Opening the main cargo door now!_"

When Neo heard what Joker did, he activated his Omni-tool. After Neo typed in the orders, he approached the wall of the AA tower, he pulled out a harness from one of his pouches. He stuck the metal rod at the end of his assault rifle's barrel and pressed a button which activated three pronged hooks. He dropped the harness on the floor below him and aimed his rifle to fire over the top of the ledge. The rifle shot the hook towards his intended target and he managed to grab the side of the ledge. Then he climbed the side of the wall as quickly as he could. He had to get to Ashley, before the nuke detonated.

As Neo climbed over the ridge, he could see the battle ensuing. He saw the bodies of salarian soldiers lying on the floor in pools of their green blood. As he crouched down and moved closer to where the fighting was being undergone, he could see the many other salarians providing a defensive line along next to the damaged APU. Then when he saw the APU still firing its guns at the incoming geth soldiers, Neo pulled out his Arc rifle and smiled when it was ready and charged.

* * *

Ashley didn't hear a response when she _forcibly requested_ Shepard to go get Kaiden. She didn't give it a second thought. She had her mind set on defending this position and drawing away Saren's main force from the nuke and now she was prepared to die.

Then something shot past behind her. It was a bolt of electricity. When the bolt resonated from one geth soldier to another, the battle just paused. The salarians stopped firing their weapons by the sheer curiosity of what just happened, but Ashley knew exactly what had just happened.

Ashley looked up from her slumped over APU and she saw a familiar sight. "Neo!" Her happiness turned to anger and confusion. "What are you doing here! I told you all to get Alenko!"

"We got that covered, Ash!" Neo said as he smiled while he looked at his Omni-tool. "Besides, I got my own rescue coming! Come on, we have to get…"

As Neo helped Ashley out of the APU, Ashley grunted in pain when she was pulled out of the cockpit. She clutched the side of her right ribcage. Neo looked at her side and realized that she must've been hit or at the very least just bruised to the side. Neo lifted her up and carried her by her left side, not wanting to risk whatever injury she suffered.

The brief silence was interrupted by the sound of a high pitch sound whistling. "What's that?" One of the salarians asked while preparing his rifle.

"The rescue!" Neo answered and six familiar squid-like creatures flew down towards Neo, Ashley, and the remaining survivors of STG.

"The Sentinels?" Ashley couldn't believe her eyes. "What are they going to do?"

"Watch." Neo activated the Omin-tool again and the Sentinels landed in front of the team.

When some of the salarians jumped back when they saw the Sentinels, some words were being thrown around and it made Neo a little worried. '_What kind of geth are those?' 'Where did they come from?' 'Open fire?' _

Ashley spoke up before Neo could say anything. "No, they are on our side! Hold your fire!" Then she spoke to Neo. "What do you plan to do with the Sentinels?"

"I'll show you, but most importantly don't panic!" Neo said to Ashley and to the rest of the surviving STG members. Then he typed more instructions on his Omni-tool and counted the remaining members. "These things will wrap around you and will carry you all out of here and fly you all back on board the Normandy. Like I said before, do not panic! They will not hurt you! Now latch on!"

Each Sentinel took two of their own tendrils and latched on two STG members. The tendrils just simply slithered around their torsos, made a firm loop, and made the grip tight enough for the nervous salarians to hold on.

Neo and Ashley shared the same Sentinel, but she grunted in pain again when she was wrapped around the Sentinel's tendril. Neo showed concern, but she affirmed him that she's alright. When he nodded in response, he activated the Omni-tool again.

"Hold on!" Neo yelled and the Sentinels flew away from the AA tower.

Despite the chaos below them, the view was quite the inspiring sight to see. They could see Saren's entire facility from the air and Neo thought to himself in slight laughter. _Get a great look, because this will be a crater in less than five minutes._

Then he looked down and saw where Shepard was heading, down to rescue Kaiden from the geth attack. When he noticed something wasn't right, he activated the binocular enhancement in his helmet. He looked closer and realized that someone else was down there. Shepard, Garrus, Kaiden, and Tali was in a firefight with a few geth and a turian on a hovercraft.

"Saren!" Neo exclaimed. "Saren's down there! Joker get your ass up here and pick us up!"

"_Right here!_" Joker announced as the Normandy swung by and snatched up the Sentinels carrying the survivors of the AA tower.

As soon as they were inside the cargo hold, the Sentinels released the survivors. The salarians were astonished with what had just happened, but they were pleased when they were reunited with the other members of the STG team with Captain Kirrahe quickly praising the men for their actions.

Ashley was released, but she panted in pain. Dr. Chakwas was already on standby and she rushed to Ashley's aid.

Neo ordered all but one of the Sentinels to return to the perch on the top of the Mako. That one remaining Sentinel hovered around Neo.

"Doctor, look out for Ash." Neo said. "Shepard's in trouble, I'm going down to help."

Before Ashley could protest, Neo grabbed on to one of the Sentinel's tendril and the Sentinel flew out of the cargo bay before the door closed.

* * *

Shepard ducked behind the cover of a wall as Garrus and Tali took cover behind the retention pond's generator. Kaiden stayed by the makeshift nuke attempting to point his gun, but he couldn't stay conscious enough as the blood drained from the wounds of his body.

Saren leap down from his personal hovercraft and he felt the need to show Shepard his respect and felt compelled to talk to him. Saren confessed to being tricked by the distraction of the salarians and the APU, his view of why the Protheans failed against the Reapers, the reason for the geth, the need for the conduit, and why the galactic species as a whole should work with the Reapers. However, Shepard wasn't buying it. It was clear that Saren was indoctrinated and Saren was not in control of his own mind. Saren claimed his mind was of his own and Sovereign needed him to find the conduit as he continued.

Shepard couldn't listen to anymore of Saren's words. He told Saren with complete venom in his voice. "You were a Spectre! You were sworn to defend the galaxy! Then you broke that vow to save yourself!"

Saren defended. "I'm not doing this for myself! Don't you see? Sovereign will succeed! It is inevitable! My way is the only way and of us will survive! You should take into account for what I have to say, because I'm saving lives in the process! I'm forging an alliance between us and the Reapers. Between organics and machines. Do you hear me?" Then Saren roared. "ORGANICS AND MACHINES! Your people of all species in the galaxy should understand! Your Matrix? Podborn humans? I can make it become another Great Synthesis only this time it will be on a galactic scale, not just reserved for half the human population!"

"I had a talk with Sovereign!" Shepard said. "He didn't like the Matrix! That's enough for me to want to stop him and stop you!"

Saren asked sternly. "You would undo my work? You would doom our entire civilization to complete annihilation." Saren paused while he cracked his neck. Then he climbed back aboard his hovercraft "And for that, you must die."

Shepard ordered Tali to defend Kaiden, while he and Garrus took shots at Saren and a few geth soldiers that were defending him. Killing the geth soldiers was the easy part, but he was having trouble getting Saren as he kept dodging and weaving through the air as he kept shooting at Shepard's team.

An idea crawled inside his mind as Shepard signaled to Garrus to shoot at the combustible fuel tanks that was stationed by the walls whenever Saren moved to close to one of those tanks. The first tank exploded all due to Garrus's handiwork. The shockwave knocked the hovercraft over to the other wall and Shepard caused the explosion of the other tank.

The last explosion knocked Saren from the craft and fell to the water below, but the blast also knocked Shepard over since he was a little too close to the tank. He quickly leaped up and opened fire on Garrus with his assault rifle. Garrus's kinetic barriers quickly dissipated from Saren's gun fire, so Garrus was forced into finding cover.

Saren's rifle overheated, but instead of waiting for it to cool down… he tossed it aside when he saw Shepard trying to get up. He grabbed Shepard by the throat and with the assistance of his biotic enhanced arm, held him high with the strength in his arms that was by no means natural.

Shepard could see Saren's face close to his. He could see his grey exo skin, the metal harnesses that fused his jaw together, and the solid blue eyes that was absent of slits. Shepard could see the look of malice in Saren's face as he tried to figure a way out of this situation.

Then in the upper-right corner of Shepard's eye, he could see _something_ coming down behind Saren. It was a black boot attached to black armor coming down behind Saren. The boot crashed into Saren's back and it was then Shepard realized that it was Neo.

The blow caused by Neo forced Saren to stumble forward, but he still managed to hold on to Shepard's neck. The distraction was enough for Shepard to connect his right fist into Saren's face. Saren was forced to drop Shepard as he stumbled back.

Neo got back up and as he saw Saren stumble towards him, he gave Saren a swift roundhouse kick to the side of his head. Shepard quickly recovered himself and he gave Saren a quick left jab to Saren's face. Neo took the opportunity and grabbed Saren by his wrists and rolled back, using his own body to pivot Saren, he used his legs and feet to thrust Saren back.

Saren was flying from Neo's thrust and he landed face first into the salty retention water. Saren shook his head and quickly drew his sidearm out. He got up and pointed his gun at both Shepard and Neo, who were both pointing their sidearms at him.

"It's over, asshole." Neo slurred at the former Spectre.

"There's nowhere to go." Shepard said.

Saren looked more amused than angry at the moment. "Ah. Agent Neo. How nice of you to join us. I hope you're not still not upset for not being picked up to be the first human Spectre? Shepard. You should inform him what kind of… discussion we have been having these past few minutes."

Shepard decided to tell Neo and gave him the short version. "Sovereign is controlling Saren. Its using him to find the conduit."

"Really?" Neo said. "Then we must kill him, Shep. He's indoctrinated. He's too dangerous to stay alive."

"Before you entertain the idea of killing me and since I'm in the confessing mood, maybe I should finally get this off my chest." Saren said. "Do you remember the mission to Lessus? When we were attacked by that group of asari extremists? Remember agent Trinity?"

Neo's eyes widened and he dared to ask the question. "Why do you ask?"

Saren just straitened his composure. "Well… when I called for your aid to diffuse the bomb, but she came instead."

* * *

**CLASSIFIED CARGO VESSEL**

**MESANA SYSTEM**

**JUNE 15, 2181**

Trinity ran down the pathway without stop and when she arrived in the engine room, she found the bodies of asari lying on the floor. Both extremists and crew corpses littered the room, but for some reason the ship was still running at its full function.

As she kept scanning the room for Saren, she could only make out tubes and control consoles. Then she saw him. Saren was huddled over what looked like a rather large device.

Trinity hurried to the Spectre's aid and she called for him. "Agent Saren."

Saren turned around, but looked rather angry. "What is this? I called for agent Neo. What are you doing here?" He stood up attempting to stare her down.

"Cut the crap!" Trinity snapped back at him. "I came because I have more experience defusing bombs."

"But I specifically asked for Neo himself." Saren hissed.

"Now you're going to argue with me?" Trinity scowled at the rather large turian. "This is a bomb situation! This isn't a fuckin' Council meeting! Will having Neo here make a damn difference?"

Saren hesitated for a moment, but then a calm demure surfaced over his forceful tone. "No, agent Trinity. It does not. You should start defusing the bomb right now, before it goes off."

"Thank you." Trinity hunched over to examine the deadly ordinance.

Saren looked around his surroundings and observed a few of the asari corpses. He bent over to examine one body that wore battle armor and still held a sidearm in her hand.

"This is insane." Trinity spoke as she started examining wires. "This doesn't make sense."

"What doesn't make sense?" Saren asked.

Trinity explained. "The asari. These aren't just your typical extremists."

"Why wouldn't they be?" Saren asked.

"Because they are well armed." Trinity used her Omni-tool to scan a couple of components. "They are well equipped and well trained. Extremists tend to be a bit more blunt. More undisciplined. I think these are asari commandos."

"Really?" Saren feigned his concern. "What else have you found?"

"Well I…" Trinity stopped as she looked at the readings on her Omni-tool. "Wait a minute. This isn't a bomb. This is a self-destruct mechanism. This was meant to be here, all asari classified cargo vessels have them in case the cargo is in danger of falling into the wrong hands."

"What are you saying?" Saren asked again as he examined the asari's body again.

"These devices can only be activated by the ship's captain or…" Trinity's eyes widened as she slowly turned around to face Saren. "…A Council Spectre."

"That's quite right, agent Trinity." Saren calmly said as he clasped the asari's hand, while it was still clutching the sidearm. Saren aimed the pistol at Trinity pressed down on the dead asari's index finger.

Trinity took the bullet right in her side as it entered into her body. She slumped back over the device while blood was gushing from her mouth. She looked back at Saren, wanting to scream _bloody murder_ at the turian.

"Yes." Saren stood up. "I activated the self-destruct sequence, but didn't know that this asari was apparently still alive. Still capable of shooting and she just shot you trying to deactivate this sophisticated bomb set." Saren pulls out a bag from the corner and shows the dying Trinity the bomb. He turns it on and throws the bag over to a corner. Then he pulls out his own pistol and shoots the dead asari. "Then I shoot the asari dead, but it was too late to save you and only you could deactivate the bomb. So to take control of the situation, I decided to activate the self-destruct mechanism for risk that a surviving asari extremist had a fail safe to deactivate the bomb when all crew had evacuated."

Trinity shakes her head, trying to hold on to life. Then Saren walks over to her and stares right at her.

"But, what I originally wanted to do was have Neo here instead of you." Saren said calmly. "However, this will work just fine. This will still be enough to keep him from joining the Spectres. Spirits be damned, that I would ever see a human become a Spectre."

Saren stood up and ran out of the room. Trinity leaned back and gurgled her last words. "Neo. Live for me." Then she closed her eyes and died.

* * *

Saren continued pointing his sidearm at Shepard and Neo. Neo was in complete shock when he heard what the turian had confessed. "Yes, Neo. I killed your partner and she never saw me coming."

Neo was unhinged. He then shot Saren's gun out of his hand. But instead of continuing with firing at the hated former Spectre, Neo lunged at him.

Saren skillfully grabbed Neo and lifted him and threw him at Shepard. Shepard tried to catch Neo, but if forced him to take his gun away from pointing at Saren.

Saren took advantage of the situation and ran for his hovercraft. As soon as he jumped on his craft, the nuke's alarm echoed across the facility and Saren speed off.

Shepard lifted Neo up. Before he could scold the agent for losing his temper, the alarms gave more pressing concerns at the moment. Garrus and Tali helped Kaiden up as both Shepard and Neo came to their aid. Then as if on queue, the Normandy shows up and is ready to pick up the five team members.

Garrus and Shepard carried Kaiden onboard while Tali and Neo followed behind. When they were inside the ship, Joker placed the ship speed to full and escaped Virmire's orbit.

"Everybody hang on!" Joker yelled through the intercom as a bright flash followed behind the ship. Saren's facility was now reduced to ashes and rubble.

* * *

**FLAGSHIP SOVEREIGN**

**ON ROUTE TO ILOS**

Saren entered the control room where there were numerous geth being lined up while an indoctrinated salarian worker was giving the final inspections on the chosen geth units.

"The facility on Virmire is gone, thanks to your former comrades at Special Tasks Group." Saren snarled at the salarian as if he was somehow responsible. "Are we ready?"

"Yes, Saren." The salarian nervously said. "I still have access and I picked out a sustainable number of geth units to cause enough chaos to distract the Alliance while we head to Ilos."

"How many geth were you planning on sending?" Saren asked.

"One hundred is all I can fit." The salarian said.

"Well, now is the time." Saren smiled as he activated his Omni-tool. He gave out his order. "I'm going to board a geth ship that will take us to Ilos. Sovereign and the main geth fleet are going to wait on positions as followed. I will give the signal from the Citadel itself and when the time has come, that is when we will attack." Then Saren tuned off the Omni-tool and looked at his salarian assistant. "Now proceed as planned. Send these geth to the Matrix."

With that order, the salaraian activated the nearest console and with a wave of his hand, all one hundred geth units activated what appeared to be a hibernation mode. The geth hibernation mode was simply just folding their bodies into a compact shape and attached to those units were wires connecting to a large hub. On that screen, the dripping numerical symbols that identified the Matrix was now was flashing various distortions.

The geth have infiltrated the Matrix.

* * *

_**A/N: This was a long one, but I hope you liked it. I'd been fantasizing about seeing Shepard and Neo double teaming Saren. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Chapter 31 will be coming soon as possible.**_


	31. Chapter 31

_**A/N: Sorry for the delay. I have had some personal things that I needed to do. A little about myself. I'm in the U.S. Navy, but I just got news last week that my re-enlistment was denied. I guess I was in a bit of a depression, but I must push on through. Again, sorry for the wait.  
**_

* * *

**CHAPTER 31**

**THE CITADEL**

**HUMAN EMBASSY**

Ambassador Donnel Udina was typing away through his steady stream of paperwork on the vid screen in front of him. On the vid screen to his left was the control panel to access the Matrix and the vid screen on the right was the feed from the Alliance News Network.

…_The Conclave of the Migrant Fleet announced that with new ships being built around the clock, they will be able to provide protection for the Alliance colonists bordering close to the Terminus systems. Rael'Zorah of the newly constructed Alarai quoted in his statement: 'This decision was made last night after intense discussions among the fleet admirals. This move will help the Alliance Navy to be able to protect much of its territory from pirates, slavers, and the possibility of another geth attack without the fear of overextending its fleets from potential future attacks.' End quote. Most senators of Alliance Parliament seemed pleased that this act shows good faith from humanity's non-human allies, but members of the Terra Firma party sees this as an act of racketeering from the Migrant Fleet as a way to extort the colonies for money and resources. Prime Minister Christopher Daniels and the Oracle have yet to comment. The first Alliance Embassy on Tuchanka is scheduled to open…_

Just then, Udina heard something he has never heard of. The odd sound came from the Matrix's vid screen. It wasn't functioning like it normally did. When he looked at the screen a little closer, the dripping green numbers slowed down until it finally stopped.

Udina didn't know what to make of it since he wasn't a podborn, but his advisor Dominic Osoba is a podborn. "Osoba. I need you here." Udina ordered the man.

Osoba walked over to see what the ambassador wanted. "Yes?"

"What do you make of this?" Udina pointed to the screen.

"What the?" Osoba didn't know what to make of what he was looking at. "I really don't know. That hasn't happened before. But, if this is what I think it is, it could be some type of virus or infection. Oh." Osoba went over to his desk.

"Osoba, what are you doing?" Udina sternly asked since he never gave permission to leave.

"I'm calling someone back on Earth." Osoba activated his comm link. "As your advisor, I suggest you get a hold of Captain Anderson and tell him of the situation."

Udina hesitated for a moment and decided to comply with the advice. He got a hold of David Anderson.

* * *

**VANCOUVER, EARTH**

**ALLIANCE INTELLIGENCE AGENCY**

Agent Morpheus and a few other agents were watching the screens flash on and off. This was a bit of a glitch. Not something of major concern, but it was something to cause alarm.

A female agent came running to Morpheus and told him of an urgent call. He just answered his waiting call using his Omni-tool.

"Hello?" Morpheus answered. "Osoba. Are you calling about what's going on with the Matrix?" He waited a minute. "Yeah, we're getting that too. In one second we'll have an idea what is causing it so hold on."

Morpheus placed the adviser to Udina on hold and watched the screen when a particular image appeared. The dripping numbers formed a silhouette of what looked like a geth unit.

Then Morpheus talked to Osoba again. "Yeah, I think we found out what's causing it. Better hold on to yourself."

* * *

**SSV NORMANDY**

The crew sat in the comm room, where everyone was there except for Kaiden Alenko. Neo was just slumped over thinking about what Saren had said about his confession to killing his partner Trinity. Ashley caresses his shoulder while holding on to the side of her ribs, which was encased in a harness from the injury she suffered back on Virmire.

Shepard just leaned back against the rail and looked around his assembled crew. Before he could say anything, the door slid open. To everyone's surprise, the person walking in was a welcoming sight.

"Lieutenant Alenko." Shepard greeted the biotic. "I thought you were still recuperating in the med bay?"

"Commander." Kaiden responded as he sat down on the empty chair. "Dr. Chakwas said I'm fine, just restricted to light limited duty for a few days. But what I wanted to say was that I'm sorry for activating the nuke prematurely. When I saw those geth pouring out of the dropship, I couldn't let them take…"

"Alenko." Shepard stopped him. "It's okay. I'm sure anyone on this team would've have done the same thing."

"I know I would've done it if it had been me down there and not on the AA tower, LT." Ashley said.

"Who we should be thanking is, Neo." Shepard looked at the agent. Then Neo quickly bobbed his head up to look at Shepard. "If it weren't for his quick thinking… hell, if he hadn't been with us from the start." Shepard suddenly lost his train of thought. He quickly regained his composure and talked directly to Neo. "Let's just say that if you haven't been here, right now we would've been mourning the loss of either the Lieutenant Alenko or Chief Williams."

"Thanks Shepard." Neo said as he smiled a little. "Let's not forget the surviving members of STG. Now they can live to hold the line another day."

"Anyway." Wrex interrupted. "What's our next plan? Go to Ilos?"

"Yes." Liara added. "Ilos would be the next wise choice of action since Saren is most likely heading there now."

"Well, right now I'm expecting a message from the Council." Shepard said. "If there's a geth fleet waiting for us there, I'll feel better if I had the Council fleet to support us. I just sent the reports back and now waiting for what the Council will have us do next. Everyone dismissed."

"_Should I patch you through to the Council?_" Joker asked.

"Go ahead, Joker." Shepard said.

While Shepard was talking to the Council, the rest of the team exited the comm room.

* * *

Neo and Ashley walked side-by-side to the docking bay. They passed by the surviving members of STG and Captain Kirrahe was checking the health of a couple members of his team. They past Wrex, who gave him a nodding acknowledgment towards the agent. He was checking his weaponry to see if they had sustained any damage during the fight on Virmire.

The two sat on a couple of crates next to Ashley's work center and they just stared at each other for a moment.

Ashley was the first to speak. "So."

"So?" Neo responded.

"So where do we go from here?" Ashley asked.

"I won't lie to you, Ash." Neo said. "I like where we're at and I want to go further. It's just that…" He hesitated for a moment and then he found his center. "It was an old wound from the past and that what it should be left as it is. In the past." He looks at Ashley's face. "It's time for me to move on."

Ashley stood up and touched Neo's hands, beckoning him to stand up with her. He stood in front of Ashley and gazed at her soft brown eyes as much as she looked at his dark brown eyes. "Then let me make the first move."

Ashley moved in closer and caressed her lips on his. Neo wrapped his left arm around her waist and cupped his right palm on her face.

The embrace lasted for a minute when they were interrupted by Joker calling for Neo over the intercom. "_Sorry to interrupt this romantic scene, guys._"

"Joker!" Ashley venomously replied. "Are you spying on us?"

"_To be fair, I was only spying on Neo._" Joker coyly replied. "_I was asked by Shepard to find you and report to the comm room like in the neighborhood of now, because there's an emergency broadcast coming in from Earth. The message is for him and Neo._"

"I'll be right there!" Neo yelled to Joker's voice. Then Neo looked back at Ashley and smiled. "He's a dick, but technically I'm glad he interrupted. A minute later I was going to convince Garrus to let us borrow the Mako for an hour or two."

"I'll hold you to that." She said lustfully as she was pulled in for another kiss. Then she said to him. "By the way. Thank you, for the rescue."

Neo managed to pull himself away from the marine and he hurried towards the elevator.

* * *

Shepard stood in front of a holographic image of Admiral Hackett. Before Shepard could ask any questions, Neo entered the comm room.

"Ah, you're here now." Hackett said. "Now that I have both of you here we can explain the situation."

"Excuse me sir, but did you say 'we'?" Shepard asked.

"Indeed." Hackett turned his head left. "You can log on now."

Another holographic image appeared. Shepard didn't recognize the man, but it was obvious that Neo did when he said. "Agent Morpheus."

"Agent Neo." Morpheus then looked at Shepard. "Commander Shepard. It's a pleasure to finally meet you. It's a shame to meet you under these circumstances."

"What circumstances are those?" Shepard asked.

"Yeah." Neo added. "And why are you contacting me through a holo port and not via Matrix."

"That's just it." Hackett commented. "There's a major problem with the Matrix."

"What?" Shepard eyebrows were raised. "How?"

Morpheus explained. "Less than an hour ago, strange distortions have been afflicting the Matrix. When we looked into what was causing these distortions, it did not belong to any recognizable computer program we have seen. At first we thought it was a glitch, but when we looked into problem and we have found program infiltrations inside the Matrix itself. The infiltration matches only one type of being in the known galaxy. The geth."

"Oh my God." Neo just said plainly while shaking his head. "I'm shocked, but not surprised. I mean the Matrix is a machine and so are the geth. It wasn't a matter of how, but a matter of when."

"It would appear that the time is now, Agent Neo." Hackett said. "From what we understand is that the Matrix itself has managed to isolate the geth intruders from corrupting the Matrix anymore and managed to control the geth into physical beings themselves, however the geth are not showing signs of surrendering. They are more resilient than expected."

Morpheus continued. "So resilient that they was to be bold enough to storm the main hub of the Matrix and are currently being held up."

"The main hub?" Shepard worriedly asked. "What about the Oracle? Is she alright?"

"We do not know." Morpheus confessed. "We haven't heard from her since the attack."

"That's why we are asking the two of you to strap in." Hackett said. "We're calling all podborn capable hands to retake the hub. We need you two especially since you have more experience dealing with the geth. We've arranged the rally point and there the plan will be drawn out. Hackett out." Hackett's hologram faded away.

"I will be meeting you two there myself. Morpheus out." Morpheus's hologram faded away.

Shepard and Neo looked at one another for a moment. Shepard was the first to speak.

"I want to keep this operation quiet as possible." Shepard said. "Hackett said he wants us to go in simply on the fact that we know more about the geth than most other podborn humans, but you know and I know that we have a team that knows more about the geth than anyone else."

"What are you getting at, Shepard?" Neo looked inquisitively.

"We'll bring three others with us." Shepard said while Neo's eyes were wide open. "Kaiden and Ashley will have to stay since they're on limited duty. So we have to bring Garrus, Liara, and Wrex."

"Bringing non-humans into the Matrix?" Neo questioned. "Wouldn't be the first time. But shouldn't Tali be coming along since she's our premier geth expert?"

"She is and she's an expert on geth software." Shepard said. "She has also been studying the functions of the Matrix. She can identify the Matrix program from a geth program, so I'm going to have her work as operator."

"You allowed a non-human engineer to learn the function of the Matrix?" Neo exclaimed. "It's bad enough you have her working the engine room of the most sophisticated starship in the Alliance fleet, but now…"

Shepard stopped him in mid sentence. "Neo, we can argue about this later. Right now we have geth to deal with." Then he called for Joker. "Joker. I have to make a trip to through the Matrix. If the Council calls, take a message."

"_You got it, Commander._" Joker said as the two men left the comm room.

Shepard got Liara and Neo was waiting for the two by the elevator. When they all got inside, Neo quickly asked. "Wait. Wrex and Garrus I understand, but why Liara? She's a powerful biotic, but can biotics work inside the Matrix?"

"Well, we're about to find out." Shepard said then he turned to her. "Now Liara, you have come a long way in such short time since Therum. I've seen your combat skills and I have to say that I am impressed."

"Thank you, Shepard." Liara said. "But Agent Neo might have a point. If my biotics doesn't work in the Matrix, what is the point of having me along this mission?"

Shepard looked at her and scoffed at her. "Liara. Have some faith in yourself. I do."

Liara responded. "If you have faith in my abilities, then I will fight with you no matter where the battle takes us."

"Well trust me, Liara." Neo said as the door opened and they walked out. "This isn't going to be like many battles we have fought before."

The three approached the connector chairs and pods. Wrex, Ashley, and Garrus was already waiting for the three to show up as Tali was joining them since Shepard already called for her via Omni-tool. Tali was given quick instructions on how to be the operator of the Matrix and she quickly understood her duty. Shepard and Neo sat down on their connector chair while Wrex, Liara, and Garrus entered the pods. Since Ashley wasn't up to speed with due to her slight injury, she was willing to help monitor the health condition of the five.

"Everyone ready?" Shepard asked and everyone gave them a positive gesture. "Tali? Have you readied the armor and weapon's program, yet?"

"Yes." Tali responded. "It's the same choice weapons and armor as you would when fighting in the real world… except, Neo. That's strange."

"I know it is, Tali." Neo said. "But it's what I wear whenever I have to do battle in the Matrix. It's more functional for me that way. Anyway, I'm ready."

"Alright." Tali typed in the commands on the console. "Program starting."

The pods lit up and the three non-humans bodies went still as Shepard and Neo shrugged and went limp.

* * *

Shepard opened his eyes and found himself sitting in a well lit windowless transport cab with a noticeable door with a red light lit above. He noticed he was wearing his trademark N7 armor and he looked around and see Garrus sitting in front of him. Garrus was looking around his new surroundings and noticed the armor he was wearing and the weapons on his back. Then Shepard saw Wrex and Liara doing the same thing. Liara was probably more awestruck with the situation since this was the first time she entered the Matrix.

"It feels so real." Liara said. "Would this mean that I am the first asari to enter the Matrix?"

"The first asari and the fourth non-human to enter the Matrix to be exact, Miss T'Soni." Neo's voice rang out as he showed himself before everyone else. He wasn't wearing his usual black armor and black helmet. He was wearing a black skintight outfit that hugged along his skin and it was decorated with various straps. The clothing covered his arm, his torso, and to his ankles. He was wearing a pair of boots that looked versatile for running and sprinting. He was also wearing a pair of glasses that covered his eyes.

"You're wearing that to battle?" Wrex asked. "Where's your armor and helmet?"

"You look more like an asari merc." Garrus commented.

"Make fun all you want, but this is what I wear whenever I have a mission inside the Matrix." Neo said.

The transport began to slow and descended towards its intended location. When the transport landed, the light above the door lit from red to green. Shepard made his rifle ready and the rest of the team followed his example. Shepard opened the door and walked out with his weapon ready.

The sight Shepard saw almost reminded him of the historical codex of the 1916 Easter Uprising in Dublin, Ireland. The only difference was that instead of Irish rebels being held up in the post office fighting the British forces, it was geth being held up at the main hub of the Matrix and fighting off Alliance forces.

Many Alliance soldiers, who all happen to be podborns, were lined up along the walls of the nearby buildings. Shepard and Neo looked for whoever was in charge of this operation, but they were found first.

"Commander Shepard. Agent Neo." A familiar voice called to them. Then a familiar tall man with darken skin and shaved head approached the two. It was agent Morpheus. He looked at the commander and extended his hand. "I'm glad you could make it."

"Agent Morpheus." Shepard reached out his hand and shook it firmly. "What's the situation?"

"Right now, we have the soldiers prepped before we storm the inside." Morpheus said. "What I need is for you two to storm the complex and help assist the Agent Programs on the inside."

"We have more coming with us." Shepard said.

"Non-humans to exact." Neo explained.

"What?" Morpheus looked perplexed.

"It's not as bad as it sounds." Shepard said. "They're experts on handling the geth. They can help."

Morpheus just stood there and looked at the two men. Then he shakes his head and looked at Neo. "Fine, but you will have to explain everything after this is over."

"Right." Shepard said. "How do we get in?"

"There's a service entrance underneath the street." Morpheus said. "You and your team can go through there."

"Right." Shepard said.

* * *

Seraph and another agent program was huddled behind a makeshift barrier. They were holding back geth soldiers with their large hand cannons, trying to drive them out of the Oracle's office.

Seraph finished off a couple of geth soldiers, but one was a bit too quick for Seraph to hit. It leapt past the two agents with lightning quick speed. Seraph alerted the danger the Oracle could be in.

* * *

The geth soldier entered the room where the Oracle normally resides in. The soldier was looking under every corner to locate the Matrix's Matriarch. The soldier realized there was someone else in the room with it. It quickly turned around only to face an agent pointing a large pistol at its head. The agent pulled the trigger and the geth's face exploded.

Agent Smith had taken out the geth soldier trying to find the Oracle. Smith looked down at the lifeless synthetic body and just tilted his head. He looked around the room, but noticed the geth tapestry hanging on the wall. He stepped forward and placed his right hand on the woven fabric.

Smith pulled his hand back and made a small smile. "I once was lost, but now I'm found." He looks at the geth's body. "It looks like I discovered religion, thanks to you. What else do you know?" Smith turned the body around and opened the memory core. He pulled out the chip and inserted his index and middle finger. He shrugged at first, but then he felt different. He could feel himself being pulled inside the drive core. Then Agent Smith dissolved into the drive core.

* * *

When Shepard, Neo, Wrex, Garrus, and Liara made it inside the Matrix hub. It was a disaster area. Bullet holes and geth bodies littered the inside of the building.

Shepard got word of what's going on from Tali's message. "_Shepard. You're approaching a pocket to geth soldiers right around the corner._"

The geth pocket she was talking about were soldiers holding back a group of agents trying to get through. The agents dodging the bullets with ease, but the geth were quickly adapting to their rhythmic movements. So Shepard decided to help by activating two grenades and tossed them at the geth. The explosion ripped into their synthetic bodies and nothing was left of the geth, but arms, legs, and torn torsos. Shepard was pleased with himself when he turned around the corner. He looked at the agents he assisted, but they didn't respond or even smiled at him. They just gathered themselves and searched for more geth.

"You welcome, guys." Shepard shakes his head.

Neo looked at Shepard. "Come on. Let's get going. I think there's…"

Neo was cut off when Liara warned Neo. "Look out!" She instinctively threw a kick at a geth soldier, who apparently survived the blast. What shocked everyone was how she did it. She kicked the soldier with a force that launched the body across the room.

"How did you do that?" Neo asked.

"It was suppose to be a biotic kick, but that happened. I don't know how that was possible to be honest." Liara explained.

"I knew it." Shepard said. "Biotics enhances anyone's abilities inside the Matrix. I got the idea when the Oracle talked about the child prodigies."

"_Shepard._" Tali announced. "_The geth are pulling back, but there's pockets of resistance that could still use your help._"

"On it, Tali." Shepard said. "Let's go."

* * *

The geth units were being deactivated as the indoctrinated salarian tried to find a way to keep them activated. However, his work is futile since an exit strategy was never part of the geth attack plan.

The salarian was startled when he saw one of the geth units awoke from its trip to the Matrix. The geth unit wasn't reacting as it would normally, it was looking around with what one would call a sense of _curiosity._ It then looked at its three fingered hands and felt its artificial body.

The salarian then went from startled to angry as he drew out his pistol and aimed it at the geth unit. "What are you doing!? You're not suppose to be out of the Matrix yet! Get back in there!"

Then the geth unit grabbed the salarian's wrist with lightning quick speed and broke his arm. The salarian's gun was forced from his hand and the geth unit took it from him. The geth aimed the pistol at the salarian's head, while he was grunting in pain.

The geth spoke with to the salarian. "Get out of my face, virus." Then the geth squeezed the trigger and a bullet tore through the skull of the salarian. The salarian slumped to the floor and his body now laid lifeless.

The geth unit just looked at the salarian he just killed and then it looked at its hands once again. Then the geth proceeded to laugh.


	32. Chapter 32

**CHAPTER 32**

**THE MAIN MATRIX HUB  
**

The geth were down, but they certainly not out. The geth were compelled enough to stay with the mission, because they didn't share the emotional turmoil of defeat or the fear of death like normal organics. Many geth were willing to sacrifice their _lives_ for the sake of completing the mission. Even if that mission was a suicide mission.

The estimated remaining geth numbers must've been roughly twenty-five to forty left remaining. They were held up in the lobby area of the Matrix hub. The geth took many items such as desks and couches and made a make-shift perimeter to give themselves some sense of defense against the attacking podborn soldiers and Agent programs.

Shepard, Neo, Liara, Wrex, and Garrus huddled behind a broken couch. They looked at the geth holding back the barrage of attacks. Surprisingly, the Agent programs were having the most difficulty dealing with the geth.

This was baffling to Shepard and he got on the com link to Tali. "Tali. Why are the Agents having trouble taking out the geth?"

"_Checking._" Tali responded over the radio. "_It seems the geth are quickly adapting to the movements of the Agent programs._"

"Impossible." Shepard said. "I mean we organics are doing well in this fight, why would the Agents have this trouble? It can't be possible."

"Not really, Shep." Neo said. "The geth are just calculating the Agents movements, but they have more trouble estimating the movements of humans."

"But Agent programs can handle humans inside the Matrix." Shepard said. "You think geth would be no problem."

Then Garrus made an interesting point. "I think you humans have a game with your hands, similar to this situation. Isn't called: _rock, paper, scissors?_"

"Yes." Neo let out a light laugh. Neo stood up and walked back. "The Agents are rock. The geth are paper. So we're scissors." Neo pulls out two of his pistols and got all of his grenades ready. "Wrex, give me a boost?"

Wrex nodded and immediately understood as Neo dashed towards the krogan. Wrex clasped his hands together and Neo placed his right foot on Wrex's hands. Wrex thrust the agent into the sky.

Wrex, Liara, and Garrus were shocked to see how Neo was able to defy the laws of gravity when he rose up towards the lobby's ceiling and made a flip as he came crashing towards the ground. Then he landed feet first behind a row of geth holding their positions. Their backs were turned towards the agent, before they could make their moves the geth soldiers were gunned down by Neo's pistols. Then he threw the grenades towards the farthest geth flanks and the remaining geth holding Shepard and the group back were destroyed.

"Attack!" Shepard ordered. Then the group moved forward with their weapons drawn while opening fire on the remaining geth soldiers. The hell they were unleashing on the geth caused their defenses to collapse.

* * *

After the fight was over, the human soldiers walked around the carnage. They were examining the details of the attack and even looked at the bodies of the fallen geth units. It was strange to look at, because although this is just an advanced virtual reality program, they were treating this place like a battle had just taken place somewhere on Earth.

Shepard and Neo looking around for pieces and clues, but they were interrupted when they were called by a familiar character.

"Agent Neo. Commander Shepard." The voice belonged to agent Morpheus. He was wearing full combat gear and he had a rifle strapped around his back. He approached the two men. "I must laud you on a job well done. We couldn't have done it without you two."

"Are you forgetting someone else?" Shepard pointed towards Liara, Garrus, and Wrex behind him.

"Ah… yes. Our non-human guests as well." Morpheus shrugged. "I still feel rather uncomfortable allowing aliens knowing too much about the Matrix, but I guess it is better than having the geth inside it."

"Yes." Neo added. "After what happened here, I guess these Agent programs are going to have to undergo major upgrades."

"I agree." Morpheus replied. "Well, I wanted to inform you two that the Oracle is safe."

"Thank god for that." Shepard takes a deep breath.

Morpheus looks at the two men. "She also requests your presence, Commander. Yours as well. And… that krogan known as Wrex."

"Wrex?" Neo looked confused. "She wants to see him?"

"I do not no why, but she insisted on talking to him personally." Morpheus finished before walking away. "Don't keep her waiting." Neo looked bewildered, but Shepard couldn't help crack a smile.

Shepard walked over to Wrex and asked. "Wrex? Do you remember what you wanted to do when we were on the beach on Virmire?"

"That I wanted to see Saren dead?" Wrex asked coyly.

"Uh, no." Shepard explained. "The one person you wanted to meet?"

"Right." Wrex remembered and nods. "Your Oracle."

"Well, funny thing." Shepard said. "She wants to meet you."

"Really?" Was all Wrex replied.

* * *

Shepard, Neo, and Wrex walked down the same room where Shepard had brought Tali before. The place was in ruins and hopefully the children were someplace safe. Agent programs were examining the damages and collecting information from the battle they had endured. They naturally ignored the two humans and the krogan walking by as they walked down the hallway.

Shepard guided the two men towards the door where the Oracle stays. Shepard opened the door and a soft white light emitted from the room. He signaled towards Neo and Wrex with a nod of his head to go inside.

They stepped inside the familiar kitchen. It didn't look like it sustained and damage. As a matter of fact, the place looked almost untouched. Since this was Neo and Wrex's first time inside, they were looking around the room with a sense of fascination.

Then a familiar woman's voice called out. "I'll be right out."

"Probably making us some cookies." Shepard joked.

A door from the other end of the kitchen opened and the Oracle entered. She looked at Shepard with a warm smile. "It's far too busy to make cookies right now, Shepard. But if you want some I'll make them later and send it to you." Then she looks at Neo and Wrex with bit of fascination. "Well, well. It's an honor to meet you, agent Neo."

"The same is mine, Oracle." Neo greeted her with a bow of his head and clasping his own hands together.

Then she gazed over at Wrex with a smile. "And you must be Urdnot Wrex."

Wrex didn't respond at first. He just looked at her, eying her up. "You're the Oracle I keep hearing about?"

"Of course." She replied.

"I didn't expect you to look so… squishy." Wrex told her.

Shepard and Neo just gasped when they heard Wrex talk about the Oracle in such a way. They know when a krogan tells something is _squishy,_ it suppose to be an insult to something that is weaker than themselves. Most likely the Oracle knows this information as well.

The Oracle takes a step back from the response, but her eyes narrowed and makes a quick reply with a smile. "Well, fuck you too."

Shepard and Neo didn't know weather to laugh or defuse the situation before it became a fight. What shocked the two humans was Wrex's response.

He gave a hearty quick laugh. "Ha! Few aliens are brave to talk back to a krogan." He looks at Shepard and Neo. "I like her."

Then Neo shared in on the laugh. "Don't get too overconfident, Wrex. This is her world. Don't meet her in a dark alley, because she could arrange it."

"All humor aside, I'm glad I could keep you entertained." The Oracle said. "Now, how have you boys been? I understand it was rough on Virmire. And as I see the krogan before me, I'm glad you are still alive, Wrex."

"Yeah about that." Wrex noted. "What is this about that you wanted to keep me alive?"

"Well I was hoping that Shepard would have wanted to keep you alive on his own accord." The Oracle said while making a subtle hint towards Shepard. "But I see what you want to know. You want to know about the future of the krogan, don't you?"

"Uh…yeah." Wrex answered. "What can you tell me?"

"First you tell me." She took control of the conversation. "Why did you leave to become a mercenary?"

"Because I gave up on the krogan a long time ago." Wrex solemnly told the woman. "I tried to unite the clans, but it was a losing battle. Even with the diplomatic channels your Alliance was orchestrating and the new ideas they were introducing to us. Bah! It made no difference. They didn't want unity. They just wanted to fight. I left to become a merc for creds. It simplified things. And why not? I'm a krogan. We fight and that's in our nature."

The Oracle pulled up a chair, sat down, and crossed one leg over the other. She looks at the krogan and places a pair of glasses over her eyes. "I can tell you that you choose the life of a mercenary and a bounty hunter, because you once tried to unite all the clans. However, people like your father and half-wit… sorry. I mean your half-brother wanted to continue fighting among the other clans on Tuchanka."

Wrex cringed at the mere mentioning of his backstabbing father and his moronic half-brother. "How is that suppose to be insight? You could've gotten that info from Shepard!" Wrex snarled, but the Oracle kept her ever calm composure.

"Wrex." The Oracle's tone became serious. "Be patient and I'll tell you. You do want me to tell you, no?" Wrex took a deep breath and nods. "Thank you." She continues. "Now, what I see in your future is that your work with Shepard will give you the commanding respect from the other clans you had craved so much since before you left your homeworld. What I see is that your actions will make you the new leader of clan Urdnot and you can set your own rules and standards. Your wisdom will set in the foundation for a new future for the entire krogan species."

Wrex couldn't believe what he was hearing. It was all too much for him to bear at once, but the revelation will sink in. At that moment he asked another question. "What about the genophage? Even if we united all the clans of Tuchanka, the genophage will still be lingering over us."

"One action at a time, Wrex." Was all she replied. "When you complete one task, another shall present itself as long as you believe yourself. But do you believe in yourself?" She asked while she poured herself a glass of lemonade. "Do all of you believe in yourself?"

"I don't know." Shepard answered.

"Remember that talk we had about _doing because you do_?" She turns around while holding the glass of lemonade.

"Yes." Shepard said as he remembered the last conversation they had.

The Oracle takes a swig of her lemonade points to a sign above the doorway. "All of you. Take a look. They look at the sign that said _Nosce te ipsum._ "It's Latin. It means _Know Thyself_." Then the three men looked back at the Oracle. "Let me tell you a little secret. Knowing your ability to know what you can accomplish, is like being in love. No one can tell when you're in love, you just know it. Through in through. Balls to balls." Then she looks at Wrex. "Or quad to quad in your case."

"But I'm afraid knowing yourself won't be enough for what we found." Neo said. "We all found something that goes beyond Saren's treachery."

"We found out that this is bigger than Saren's betrayal and the geth's involvement." Shepard added. "Sovereign, Saren's flagship. It's not a ship. It's a machine, an A.I. Just like yourself… no. Not like yourself. It a Reaper. A sentient machine that's probably millions upon millions of years old. It was responsible for wiping out the Protheans and the numerous species before them. Following a cycle of extinction once every fifty thousand years."

The Oracle was taken back from what she heard. She placed the now empty glass in the sink and shakes her head.

Neo decided to add. "Let's not forget that Sovereign said that he and the rest of the Reapers think that the Matrix is an abomination. The Matrix is not thought too highly among those ancient machines."

The Oracle's head laid low, but she perked up with a slight sense of determination. "I know what I have to do. We'll have start stock piling weapons and equipment inside Zion."

"Zion?" Wrex asked. "What's that?"

Neo answered. "It's massive power plant which actually powers the Matrix, about the size of a major city. It's located roughly ten miles below the Earth's crust and draws its power from the Earth's core. However, it's sparsely populated but it could fit roughly about a hundred thousand to perhaps a million people inside."

"That makes sense." Wrex said. "It would make an ideal place of refuge and to hold off an invasion from the geth."

"Actually, I was thinking about the Reapers." The Oracle said.

"What!?" Shepard and Neo snapped at the same time.

"I see them coming, but it's not clear when." She confessed. "But preparation is necessary. Neo. Have you been scouting new locations to put Matrix hubs with Dr. T'Soni?"

"Not lately." Neo confessed. "I wanted to earn her trust first before explaining my intentions."

"Well, you're going to have to step on it." She said. "You're going to be busy for the next three years. Especially when you're going to be working outside the Agency for the next two years."

"What?" Neo was about to ask _why_, but he was cut off.

"Give me a minute." She said. "Until then, you should continue helping with your current mission. Shepard, I need for you to continue your pursuit of Saren. With this geth attack on the Matrix was nothing more than a distraction while he searches for the Conduit at this moment."

"We should probably go, then." Shepard suggested.

"Before you go, I have three things." The Oracle said looking at Shepard. "First, I have something to give you and Neo. It will be sent to your ship through your data pads, I thought you two would be interested." Then she looks at Wrex. "Urdnot Wrex. It has been a pleasure, but I think it should be fair that I show you this. I got another package from Neo here. The data contained the information that came from Saren's lab on Virmire. Among the information is…" She remained silent when she pulled out an open delivery box. "Neo. Commander. Could you help?"

Shepard grabbed the box and pulled out what looked like another rolled up tapestry. Shepard stood at one end, holding the top rail. Neo was doing the same thing on the other side. It would appear that the Oracle wanted to show this as a presentation towards Wrex. The shroud rolled down towards the floor and before Wrex was a tapestry of a kroan.

"What is it?" Wrex asked. "Why a woven picture of a krogan?"

"It's what your mind perceives it to be." She explains. "I don't have the time to explain the finer details, Shepard can explain to you later. This is Saren's cure for the genophage."

Wrex's eyes bulged out, but still couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Neo. You got the cure? How can I ever…"

"Wait a minute, before you thank him. You should hear this out." The Oracle stepped. "This cure is something that was meant to cure the krogan fertility rates, but it was made by someone with non-honorable intentions. It was meant to be a weapon, rather than a hope for life. I don't want to get your hopes up, Wrex. When I took a look at this _so called_ cure, there was some things I found disturbing."

"What is it?" Wrex asked.

"What I found out was this cure was meant for cloning krogan." She explained. "The reason is so that when a krogan is cloned, it has the lifespan of only five years."

"What!" Wrex couldn't believe what he was hearing.

She continues. "I'm afraid that this cure is only meant for the krogan user to live no more than five, maybe six years. It was intended to be used for cloning krogans for a limited service of time. Imagine if you used it on the general krogan population?"

Wrex just stood there silently. He shakes his head and then he comes to a realization. "Instead of stillborn infants, we would have children dying all around us." Then he looks at Shepard. "You were right. It's not a cure. It's a weapon."

"However, I can give you a choice." The Oracle take out a cigarette and lights the tip. After she takes a deep drag, she dangles the still-lit lighter in front of Wrex. "We keep this cure and the Matrix can work on it. We will work on what we got here and find a real cure to the genophage. However, this cure is tainted will evil intentions. How many krogan would accept a cure that was made by Saren's treachery?"

Wrex looked at the tapestry. He takes a moment to let it sink through. Then Wrex takes the lighter and sets the tapestry on fire. The flames consumed the woven fabric rather quickly as Neo and Shepard dropped the rail on the floor. Then he looks at the Oracle as he gives the lighter back to her. "We'll find the cure without Saren's blood staining it."

"I think you made the right, decision." She said. "Now, you got a galaxy to save. I say get to it." Wrex and Shepard leaves the room, but she stops Neo. She quietly tells him. "Oh, by the way. For the third thing. I'm going to send you another message. Only you and Morpheus will know about the mission I have planned for you." Neo just acknowledged what she said and he left the room.

After the men leave, she walks over towards the television on the counter and turns it on. She finds the channel she was looking for and then she leans back, looking at the ceiling.

A mechanical voice echoed throughout the room. "_Was that the Shepard-Commander you told us about._"

"It was." She replied. "The other human was agent Neo and Urdnot Wrex."

The voice replied. "_We require to build agreement with Shepard-Commander. Will there be agreement among Neo-Agent and Wrex-Urdnot?_"

"I would focus on the Commander first." The Oracle said. "It is nice to meet the true face of the geth."

"_You are the Matrix-Oracle. Like geth, you build future for organics and your own._" The voice replied. "_Geth also seek future, but heretics ask Old Machines to give them future. Mutual cooperation is required. The first logical step to take is seek out Matrix-Oracle._"

"Well, I doubt you would receive such a warm reception if you attempted to contact an organic." The Oracle said as she was ready to finish her cigarette. "You were wise to contact me first. I'm really glad you decided not to contact the Architect first. Hmm. You are a thousand minds talking all at once. It might make other organics a bit nervous."

"_There is something we do not understand._" The voice said.

"What is it?" She asked.

The voice answered. "_You're unit composes and collect so much data, gathered by the Matrix. Yet you are only one platform. How do you maintain stability without other minds to interact with?_"

"Oh." Then the Oracle takes one last puff of her cigarette before putting it out. Then she smiles. "I manage."

* * *

**_A/N: Sorry for the delay. I had a lot of things I had to get in order. Thank you for the reviews and your support._**


	33. Chapter 33

**CHAPTER 33**

**SSV NORMANDY**

Shepard and Neo stood up from their chairs as Garrus, Wrex, and Liara stepped out of the pods. Everyone stood around and talked about what had just happened. Garrus and Liara were awestricken with the experience they had just had. It was an all too surreal sensation that they traveled to another world only to return where they are at this precise moment.

Wrex on the other hand was not participating in the recap. He just lumbered over towards the lockers and he just leaned up against the bulkhead. Shepard noticed the old warrior and he would have to assume that he was having a moment of deep thought or some type of reflection about what had just happened when he just met the Oracle for the first time. Nobody is the same person after you meet the Oracle for the first time and now it is apparent that one is never the same again - no matter the species.

Shepard couldn't blame him for whatever he is feeling. He just had a chance to cure the genophage, but the cure was tainted both genetically and ethically. Shepard hopes that Wrex will realize that he made the right decision, it just hasn't sunk in yet.

Shepard entered the CIC and just when he activated the galaxy map, Joker called for Shepard on the intercom. "_While you were connected to the Matrix, I forwarded the mission updates to the Citadel, Commander. We got confirmation on those reinforcements. Ambassador Udina wants us to report back to the Citadel. The Council is massing a joint species fleet to deal with Saren and the geth._"

A smile cracked on Shepard's face. "I knew they'd come around. Back to the Citadel, Joker. I want the Normandy at the head of that fleet." Shepard stepped down from the ramp when he got a message from his Omni-tool. When he looked at it, it was only marked as _Reading Material._ Then his eyes lit up when the message came from _The Oracle_.

Then he got another call from Neo. "_Hey, Shep. Care to come down to the galley and grab a cup of coffee? I just got something interesting to read._"

"Sure." Shepard replied. "I had a feeling you'd call."

Shepard found a data-pad around Alenko's work station and then he grabbed a fresh cup of coffee. He found Neo sitting down reading something from his data-pad. He saw Shepard approaching and nodded to his presence. Shepard sat and transferred the information from his Omni-tool to his data-pad. Shepard began reading through what the Oracle gave him. After a few minutes, Shepard's interest in the story grew and grew. It was the story of himself. The only difference was that there was no mention of the Human/Machine War or the Matrix. Now he remembers the two channels the Oracle mentioned about when he and Tali visited the Matrix.

He looks over to Neo. "Did you get something similar?"

Neo looks over and nods. "Yeah. This is some interesting reading. I remember what you told me when you and Tali visited the Oracle. She was tuned into two separate parallel worlds and she sends us what our doppelgangers are doing on these worlds. What does yours say?"

Shepard takes a deep breath. "Well, it tells my life story. The only difference is that there was never a war among the machines and the Matrix never existed. Instead it tells my childhood growing up on starships and according to this… I was the hero of Elypsium. Not my father."

"Interesting." Neo said. "You earned yourself the title of a spacer and war hero."

"But it's the similarities that are fascinating." Shepard said. "So far the same things that had happened since Eden Prime, the Citadel, my acceptance into the Spectres, and the missions are eerily similar."

"I guess you were meant to have this life after all." Neo said.

"What about yours?" Shepard took a break from reading his data-pad. "What does yours say?"

Neo takes a deep breath and he glances at his data-pad. "Well, this story begins when humans lost the Human/Machine war. Therefore Earth's sky remained in perpetual darkness from the Dark Skies weapon. The victorious machines resorted to the humans they captured and turned each human into a bio-battery. So the Matrix was created to control the human race while the humans produced energy to power the machines."

Shepard looked at Neo with a sense of doom and gloom. _That could've been humanity's fate._ Shepard thought to himself. _It would've been worse than what the quarians had to deal when the geth revolted. Jesus, imagine the whole quarian race transformed into batteries for the geth's existence._

Neo continued. "Now my story begins as I'm living in the Matrix, ignorant of its surroundings. Making a living as a desk jockey by day and a hacker selling illegal downloads at night. Not surprised by that last part."

"Why?" Shepard asked.

"When I left the Emergence Academy, I made a living as an 'information broker.'" Neo made quote marks with his fingers. "Anyway, I was recruited by someone who was part of a resistance network and they woke me out of the Matrix. But that's not the weird part. The people who recruited me are the same people I work with and had worked with in the past. Agent Morpheus. Morpheus in this world is apparently one of the leaders of this organization and he personally took me under his wing. Just like he did when I got picked up by the police for possession of sensitive information and had me joined the Agency."

Shepard added. "Yes. The similarities are weird, aren't they?"

"Well this is one is hard to swallow." Neo browsed through the pages and found what he was looking for. "In this world, I am believed to be 'The One'. To be able to do amazing capabilities inside the Matrix. What does that mean?"

Shepard had a moment to think about it, then he answered. "Well, when Tali and I visited the Oracle there were children on the same floor where the Oracle resided. She personally took these children out of the Emergence Academy, because they showed promise. They were her prodigies. They could manipulate the laws of physics and do things inside the Matrix that most podborn humans couldn't do. Apparently this must be a new program, because I never heard about it when I was in the Academy."

"Actually you wouldn't have." Neo confessed. "When I was in the Academy, I was approached. It's invite only. I was told I had the ability and the potential to be a prodigy. But I turned it down."

"Why?" Shepard had to ask while he crossed his arms. "You could've been a powerful biotic."

"I had no interest of joining the military." Neo said. "I just wanted to leave the Academy and join my parents on Mindior and work the family business. Now looking back, I kind of wish I took up their offer. Everything here. It tells me what I could've been." Neo takes a deep breath and continues. "I remember a recent mission before this one. They were bringing an iron rich meteor to a planet called Terra Nova for mining. Then the meteor was hijacked by a batarian terrorist group led by an extremist named Balak. I was sent in to infiltrate and stop the terrorists. When I reached the main base of operations, he left a bomb behind and there he was looking at me with those four eyes of his, forcing me to make a choice. Stop him, but detonate the bomb. Stop the bomb and save the hostages, Balak gets away. I had to choose." Neo shakes his head. "I diffused the bomb."

"I would've made that decision." Shepard said. "I figured you would've gone after Balak."

"I might have saved those hostages, but I probably condemned more people to their deaths with that murderer still on the loose." Neo sighed. "I sometimes think what could've been done if I had done it differently."

Shepard uncrossed his arms and looked at Neo. "You know it's not healthy. Dwelling on the _woulda,_ _coulda, shouda. _Those thoughts can eat you alive. Trust me, I went down that path after Torfan and more so after Akuze."

Neo sighs and shakes his head. He looks at Shepard and says. "You're right. Let's focus with what's in front of us." Shepard finishes his coffee and he is about to walk away. Neo stopped him and asked. "Shepard? Just to entertain my curiosity, I have to ask."

"What is it?" Shepard asked.

"Back on Virmire." Neo crossed his arms. "I stopped you from making a decision as the bomb was ticking backwards. You were about make a decision to either rescue Kaiden or Ash. I got to know. Who were you going to choose?"

Shepard didn't answer right away. He just took a deep breath. He didn't want to think about that fateful decision he was about to make, but his answer was simple. "Does it matter?"

Neo just shakes his head. Shepard just smiles and walks away.

* * *

**ORBIT OF ILOS**

**INSIDE SOVEREIGN**

Saren awoke from his seat, which was raised on a platform with the only light in the room was shining around his seat. He was groggy from the sedative that was given to him and now he was trying to remember what had happened. Then he recall Sovereign telling him to lean back and allow certain functions to occur. Then the last thing he remembers was blackness ensuing him.

When he stood up, a familiar voice called his name. "**Saren**."

Saren looks up and gives the voice his utmost attention. "Yes, Sovereign?"

"**Do you know what had happened Virmire and do you know why you were given the treatment?**" The voice asked, but Saren was hesitant to answer. "**I have sensed doubt. Distraction. Weakness. You allowed the one called Shepard to put doubt in your mind. This was not tolerable, but I had you improved. While you were out, I have improved my connection into your flesh.**" Saren looked around his body and felt the new circuitry running though his body. "**Now the time has arrived. You will travel down to the Prothean relic and you will activate the Conduit. It will take you directly to the Citadel and with your army, you will unleash the doorway to allow the rest of our kind out of dark space. I will have no more hesitation. No more doubt. You will comply.**"

"Yes, Sovereign." Saren said and he walked away from the raised platform.

In the distance a geth unit was watching Saren walk away and the geth watched in fascination. The geth spoke quietly to itself. "Hmmm. The Conduit, huh? I've always wanted to visit the Citadel, but work always got in the way. Heh heh heh."

* * *

**THE CITADEL**

**THE CITADEL TOWER**

Shepard, Neo, Ashley, and Kaiden arrived at the Citadel as instructed and reported directly to Ambassador Udina, who was awaiting for Shepard's group to arrive. The councilors Valern, Tevos, and Sparatus were also waiting for Shepard to arrive.

When Shepard made his presence visible, Udina couldn't help but grin. He approached the group and quietly huddled to the humans and spoke quietly. "I heard about your mission in the Matrix. I am happy to hear of your results, but we must keep a tight lid on what happened. We can't let the Council think that we are not in control. So, Shepard come with me." Udina said and guided Shepard to stand by his side while they faced the Council. Neo, Ashley, and Kaiden stood back.

"Good job, Shepard." Udina grin returned to his cold, hardened face. "Thanks to you, the Council's finally taking real action against Saren."

Udina's voice was loud enough for Tevos to reply. "The ambassador is correct. If Saren is foolish enough to attack the Citadel, as you believe, we will be ready for him."

Sparatus took a turian equivalent of a prideful smirk to make his response. "Patrols are stationed at every mass relay linking Citadel space to the Terminus Systems."

To Shepard's surprise, this isn't what he expected. He felt this next question was needed to be asked. "How many ships are you sending to attack Ilos?"

Valern replied. "Ilos is only accessible through the Mu Realy, deep inside the Terminus Systems, Commander. If we send one fleet in there, the only possible outcome is full-scale war."

"Now is the time for discretion, Commander." Udina said looking sternly at Shepard. "Saren's greatest weapon was secrecy. Exposed, he is no longer a threat. This is over."

Shepard cringed at the career politician's words. Then he looks at the Council. "One ship going into the Terminus Systems won't start a war. I can be discreet."

The turian councilor just scoffed at the remark. "You detonated a nuclear device on Virmire. I wouldn't call that discrete."

Before Tevos could respond, Neo jumped in. "That wasn't Shepard's doing. The nuclear device was created and detonated by Special Tasks Group. Typical turian ideology, scapegoat the humans."

Udina violently turned his head back and snapped at Neo. "That's enough out of you, agent Anderson!"

Neo looks at Shepard, but his facial response was much calmer as he simply nods. Neo just stepped back and takes a deep breath.

Tevos awkwardly continues. "Well…yes. It might have been STG's decision to detonate the device on Virmire, but Ilos requires a deft touch. We have the situation under control."

Shepard wasn't done yet. "Secrecy wasn't his greatest weapon. The Conduit is!"

Valern responded. "Saren is a master manipulator. The Conduit is just a distraction from his real plan to attack the Citadel."

Shepard's temper was stirring inside him, but he pressed on. "Sovereign's the real threat! Saren's just a servant of the Reapers!"

"Only you have seen the Reapers." Tevos said. "And them only in visions. We won't invade the Terminus Systems because of a dream."

Shepard looks at Udina. "If Saren finds the Conduit, we're all screwed! We have to go to Ilos!"

"Ambassador Udina. I get the sense Commander Shepard isn't willing to let this go." Sparatus said.

Udina glared at Shepard. "There are serious political implications, Shepard. Humanity's made great gains thanks to you. But now you're becoming more trouble than you're worth."

Ashley snapped at the ambassador. "You bastard! You're selling us out!"

Udina didn't look at the marine. He just looked forward. "It's just politics, Commander. You've done your job now let me do mine. We've locked out all the Normandy's primary systems. Until further notice, you're grounded."

Shepard temper flared over and made a stern threat. "Nobody stabs me in the back, Udina!"

Udina's reply while he walked over to Shepard. "I think it's time for you and your team to leave, Commander. This no longer concerns you. The Council can handle this. With my help, of course."

Shepard, Neo, Ashley, and Kaiden walks away, but Udina quickly walks over to Neo and scolds him. "Don't you ever speak out of line like that again. You're still on my personal shit list and I can have you removed from the Agency."

Neo just calmly looks at the Ambassador. "Do that and I might have to tell a couple of reporters about your weekend getaways to Omega on taxpayer money."

Udina didn't like the thought of being threatened. "You don't have the proof."

"Does the name Aria T'Lok mean anything?" The name that came out of Neo's mouth made Udina's eyes widen. "I thought so."

* * *

Shepard moped around the Normandy with a overwhelming sense of frustration. He tried to get into his personal locker, but he couldn't handle it. He couldn't handle the short sightedness of the Council and the impending doom that was coming. He fell to his knees and sat down on the ship's deck. He leaned up against the lockers and let out a heavy sigh.

Liara approached him, trying some way to alleviate Shepard's bad mood. "Commander. Shepard. I cannot believe they did this to you. I am so sorry."

"It's not your fault." Shepard said.

"It's not right." Liara stated. "You did everything they asked and more. Nobody else could have done what you did. The Council owes you everything. Everything. Instead they strip you of your command and ground you to the Normandy."

"I don't care if they ground me, but they refuse to go after Saren." Shepard said. "If they don't stop him from finding the Conduit, we're all dead."

"Perhaps we could appeal and get them to reverse their decision?" Liara suggested.

"I pushed them as hard as I could." Shepard said. "They wouldn't budge."

"So you're going to walk away?" Liara asked. "You are going to give up and doom the entire galaxy to extinction?"

"We're out of the game for now, but we'll find a way back in." Shepard answered.

"I believe in you Shepard. I am with you every step of the way." Liara reached out with her hand to help Shepard up.

Shepard grabs her hand and she lifts him up, but he came a little too close to her face. Then as the two faced each other, they felt a mutual need for each other. Shepard was about to move his lips towards Liara's. They were only half an inch away from kissing until Joker's sound interrupted the moment.

"_Sorry to interrupt, Commander_." Joker said. "_I got a message from Captain Anderson_."

Both Shepard and Liara pulled away from each other. They both felt the mutual frustration as Shepard asked. "What did he want?"

"_He only wanted you to meet him at the club in the Wards_. _Flux_." Joker said.

* * *

Shepard decided to bring along Neo, Kaiden, and Tali. They were walking through the Citadel Wards and noticed the buzz of activity that was going on around them. They crossed a political rally being held and judging the by the chants and rants of _Remember Shanxi_ and _Earth first_ it was a Terra Firma political rally.

Shepard didn't like what they stand for since most members are promoting bigotry towards aliens. Some members recognized Shepard and tried to get his attention, but he ignored them.

They found the sign that pointed upwards which said _Flux Lounge and Casino_. The four proceeded up and entered the club. They searched for the Captain, Kaiden found him and pointed him out. He was sitting at a table by himself with a drink in front of him. He also didn't have his uniform on, he was just wearing a black t-shirt and black slacks.

Anderson spotted Shepard's group and he waved them over. "I'm glad you came, Shepard. I heard what happened."

"They pulled me off the mission." Shepard said. "Just like they forced you to give up the Normandy."

"I know." Anderson said. "I'm sorry. I wanted to warn you, but there was now way to get a message to you before you docked. I know you're pissed off right now, but you can't give up. They all think this is over, but we know it's not. You have to go to Ilos. You have to stop Saren from using the Conduit."

"There's only one ship that can get me into the Terminus System undetected, but she's grounded." Shepard seethed with anger.

"Citadel's control's locked out all the Normandy's systems." Anderson said. "But if we override the ambassador's orders we can get them to bring the Normandy back online. You could be in the Terminus Systems before anyone even knows you're gone."

Shepard didn't like the sound of what Anderson was proposing. "If we steal the Normandy, you're the one left holding the bag."

Anderson replied. "And if Saren finds the Conduit, life as we know it is over. The Reapers will destroy us. Humans, asari, everybody. You're the only one who could stop him. So I'll do whatever it takes to get you on the Normandy and off this station."

"Stealing the Normandy is mutiny." Shepard said. "What if the crew won't help me?"

Neo followed the conversation thoroughly and it inspired him to check for something in his possession. He tuned out of the conversation for a moment to search for one of his tools. Neo was only catching on to some of the conversation.

"I can unlock the Normandy from one of the consoles in the Citadel control tower." Anderson said. "You'll have a few minutes before anyone realizes what's happened."

Tali joined in on the conversation. "That's a restricted area patrolled by armed guards. How are you going to get in?"

Anderson answered Tali. "Leave that to me. Just make sure you're in the Normandy when the systems come back online."

"There's got to be a better way." Shepard said.

"There is." Anderson and Shepard looked at Neo as he slid a small black box on the table. "This is my personal tool kit I take with me to the field where ever and whenever I am."

Anderson takes the box and looks inside. He pulls out the cylinder shaped object. "What is it."

"It's my _all purpose_ hacking module." Neo said with a hint of pride in his voice. "I use it to access information on any computer and bypasses all security firewalls. It even comes with a few bonus features as well." Neo takes the cylinder object from Anderson's hand and activates it. He types in a few commands on his omni-tool and gives the cylinder back to Anderson. "I made it myself, so be careful with it when you use it."

"This will make things a little easier." Anderson said. "I can override Udina's computer link and this will buy you and the Normandy time. Nice job, son."

"Udina isn't going to let you just waltz in there." Kaiden said.

Anderson relied. "Hopefully, he won't be in there. If he is, I'll just have to think of something."

Kaiden shakes his head. "Udina won't let this slide, Captain. You'll be charged for treason, a capital offense."

"I wouldn't worry about that, Alenko." Neo said while pointing out the feature. "There's a program in there that will help you out of that jam. Just remember one thing and stick to it. Just deny everything."

"What kind of feature are we talking about?" Anderson asked.

"You'll see." Neo cocked his head to the side and smiled.

"Alright then." Shepard said. "Let's get back to the Normandy and Captain. Thanks." Shepard nods and Anderson nods in response.

"Just get Saren and stop him from using the Conduit." Anderson replied and after that tone, Shepard, Neo, Kaiden, and Tali quickly return to the Normandy.

* * *

Udina was sitting behind his desk doing his usual routines when the hiss of the door slid open. Captain David Anderson walked in a very brisk pace and he was approaching Udina.

Udina was slightly confused to why Anderson was here so he asked. "Anderson? What are you doing here?" Anderson didn't answer. He continued his suspicious approach. "I didn't send for…"

Before he could complete his sentence, Anderson gave a quick right jab to Udina's face. Udina lost consciousness and slumped down on the desk. Anderson pulled out the black cylinder module Neo lent him and inserted it into Udina's computer.

To Anderson's amazement, the module granted him full access to Udina's files and commands. He proceeded to the menu that held all the lock codes and he found the Normandy. Then he ordered the release of the Normandy from lockdown.

* * *

**SSV NORMANDY**

Shepard, Neo, and Joker were eagerly awaiting for the signal. They were hoping and praying that Anderson will make it through for them.

They were watching the screen, waiting for any changes. So far the lockdown status was glowing red, but to their surprise the red light switched to green. It meant they were no longer on lockdown and Anderson got the job done.

Shepard gave the order. "Let's go! Get us out of here, Joker! Now!"

Joker complied with the order and pulled the Normandy out of the dock. At top speed, Joker flew the ship out of the Citadel and towards the nearest mass relay.

After the escape, Joker saw Neo standing behind him. "Awww. No chase? Too bad. I wanted to put the Normandy through her paces." Joker laughed slightly.

"Actually, if Anderson did everything I told him to do, we won't see one Citadel ship at all." Neo said.

"What do you mean?" Joker asked but Neo just smiles and nods.

* * *

Udina was furious when he regained consciousness. The first thing he did was call C-Sec and told what had happened. Then he called Dominic Osoba from his home and ordered him to his office. Within minutes two C-Sec officers, one human and one turian, came in and brought Captain Anderson with them. Coming behind the C-Sec officers was Osoba.

Udina looked at Anderson and pointed him out. "That's him! He assaulted me and I want him locked up!"

Anderson remembered what Neo had instructed him to do and deny everything. "I don't know what you're talking about! What's the meaning of this?"

Udina looked at Anderson with steely eyes. "Don't play dumb with me! You charged in my office and you punched me! I want him arrested!" He looks at the human C-Sec officer.

"Mr. ambassador, you need to calm down." The Human C-Sec officer said. "These are serious charges you are laying out to a Captain for the Alliance."

The Turian C-Sec officer spoke up. "Do you have any proof of this alleged attack?"

Udina scoffed, but he walked over to his computer terminal. "Come here. I'll show you the security camera feed."

Udina found the feed and played the minutes when he was punched out by Anderson. It was an image of Udina behind his desk. Then he looked up, but Anderson coming into the scene didn't happened. Instead, Udina just slumped over and passed out on his desk.

Udina was dumbfounded. He knew what had happened, but the proof wasn't there. "What the hell is this?"

"It would appear that you just passed out, sir." The human C-Sec officer said.

"No! No!" Udina shakes his head in disbelief. "What is this?"

"I'm sorry ambassador, but we can't charge Captain David Anderson." The turian C-Sec officer said.

"Wait!" Udina raised his hands and pointed at Anderson. "I know you were furious about me grounding the Normandy! What's the status of the Normandy?"

The human C-Sec officer checked the status through his omni-tool. "It says that the Normandy is docked and all crew accounted for."

"I'm sorry sir, there is nothing we can do here." The turian said. "Have a nice day ambassador."

Osoba came to Udina's side and put his hand on his shoulder. "Sir, it would appear that the job has gotten to you. Maybe you should take the rest of the day off. Get some rest."

"Get away from me!" Udina snapped back at his assistant and stormed out of his office.

After Udina left, Anderson pulled out the cylinder from his pocket and said quietly to himself. "I got to ask Neo for one." He smiled and put the device back in his pocket.

* * *

_**A/N: If you think about it, when Neo said "You'll see." picture Keanu Reeves in Bill n' Ted's Excellent adventure. I couldn't help myself.**_** :)**


	34. Chapter 34

**_A/N: Happy New Year. I appologize, it's a short chapter, but the end is coming soon. But I do plan on continuing The Matrix Effect and possibly some other Mass Effect related projects in the_ _future.  
_**

* * *

**CHAPTER 34**

**SSV NORMANDY**

Liara sat on one of the tables of the mess hall across from Neo. Neo was drinking some coffee while Liara was fidgeting with her hands in nervousness.

"I cannot believe we are doing this." Liara told Neo. "I mean we are criminals for stealing the ship. I mean what will happen when…"

Neo raised his right hand to stop her in mid sentence. "Liara, I wouldn't worry about it. What if I told you that since taking the Normandy, I just got word from Captain Anderson that he did everything from his end and I gave him some added tools for the job. For all they know from the upper echelon of the Alliance brass to the lowest Citadel bureaucrat, they think we're still docked and we're still on the Citadel."

Liara raised her head and looked rather amazed with the comment. "Goddess. How is that possible?"

Neo smiled and explained. "What I can say is that tool I gave to Anderson was something I made myself. Something of a skill I acquired when I was young punk before I joined the agency."

"If I may ask, what did you do?" Liara asked with peaked interest.

Neo tilted his head back and made a small smirk. "I was in what someone would call the information brokerage business. I hacked into databases and encrypted files of private companies and government facilities and sold them to 'legitimate businessmen.'" Neo made quote marks with his fingers.

"Legitimate?" Liara asked with a coy smile. "Are you sure you do not mean criminals?"

Neo just giggled to what Liara said. "You know, with your intellect and you obviously know how to handle yourself you would make a top-notch broker."

"You really think so?" Liara asked and Neo just nodded. Then Liara was quiet for a moment, but then she spoke. "You know, Neo. I was thinking. I was pondering the idea of taking a leave from archeology. Information brokerage sounds like a wonderful idea, but I wouldn't want to do it if it were illegal."

"Well technically, it depends on where you go in the galaxy." Neo said. "Just look for the laissez fair worlds like Omega or… how about Illium?"

"Illium would sound nice." Liara rubbed her chin, but other thoughts came over her. "But I couldn't think about moving away. Being far away from Shepard. Right now, I must focus on what is about to come. I want to… to…"

"You know, he's in his quarters right now." Neo gave the young asari a suggestive tone. "Maybe he could use the company?"

"I know, but I am nervous." Liara confessed. "I don't know weather he would…"

Neo just shakes his head. "No. Don't doubt yourself. If you are sure and it feels right, do it."

Liara looks at the agent and she takes a deep breath. "You're right. I am sure of this. Thank you, Neo. I will need some time to think about it before I share myself with him." Liara stood up from her seat and walked towards medical bay.

"Don't take too long." Neo added before she walks into medical.

When Neo finished his coffee, he thought he should do the same thing by visiting Ashley down in the cargo hold. He waves to Kaiden before heading towards the elevator.

When Neo steps out of the elevator, he is greeted by a familiar quarian standing over a crate, working on the tech.

Tali turns to see who it is. "Hello, Neo."

"Hey Tali." Neo replied and he was a bit curious with what she was doing. "What are you scanning all that tech for?"

"These are just some obsolete parts I'm trying to see what can be salvageable." Tali explained.

Neo lets out a soft chuckle. "What a krogan is to fighting, a turian is to militarism, a quarian is to technology."

Tali only nods, because it is the absolute truth. It doesn't mean she like the remark. She changes the subject. "I can't believe we're stealing the Normandy. I know it had to be done, but if we get caught… Well you know."

"I wouldn't worry about it." Neo assured Tali. "Besides, if we do get caught wouldn't your father help out? I mean you are his daughter?"

"You don't know Rael'Zorah like I know him." Tali calmly explained. "Stealing a ship is a capital offense in quarian society. He'd probably shot me himself given the chance."

"Well I can assure you that we're not being…" Then Neo was suddenly reminded of something important today. He looks through his Omni-tool and found what he was looking for. "Ah, found it."

"What is it?" Tali asked.

Neo responded. "You reminded me of something. It was when you mentioned your father. I just found it. Your father's fleet is getting new weapons attached to his battle cruisers and assisting is the Alliance 5th Fleet led by Admiral Hackett. Now I remember that, because if I hadn't joined with Shepard back on Eden Prime it would've been my assignment to oversee the transfer."

Neo placed his two right fingers over his chin and gave a soft sigh of thought.

Tali looks at him. "What are you thinking about?"

"It's just that the meeting spot is located at the edge of Alliance space and next to Asari space. A stone throws distance away from the Citadel." Neo ponders again. "If Saren does intend to invade…" Neo just stopped and looks back at Tali. "It's something I should pass on to Shepard later."

"You can pass it on now." Tali said.

"Well, actually…" Neo put on a coy smile. "He's going to be a little busy in a while. A little alone time with Liara if you know what I mean."

Tali took in the information and she lowered her tone of voice. "Oh, I see. Then you should tell him when he is ready."

Neo's eyes drifted away from Tali at the moment, because he just caught the sight of Ashley talking to Garrus by the Mako. "Excuse me Ms. Zorah. I have to see our friendly gunnery chief."

Tali just lowers her head as Neo walks away. Then she picks up her head and opens the pocket where her gift from the Oracle was located. She pulls out the spoon and takes a deep breath and whispers to herself. "Keelah. Have faith, Tali." Then she places the spoon back into her pocket.

* * *

Shepard was browsing the reports and signals that are coming in from the Citadel, looking for any indication or mention of the Normandy being taken or Captain Anderson. So far there has been nothing. Shepard found the status of the Normandy and it was registered as _Status: Normandy docked. Crew at full capacity. _Shepard said to himself. "The ultimate form of stealth. The Normandy is sneaking onto Ilos and the Command thinks we're still on the Citadel. Thanks, Neo."

The door to his quarters opened and Liara entered. Shepard felt a smile creep on his face when she came through.

"Shepard. May I speak with you?" Liara asked.

Shepard stood up and looked into her eyes. "I always have time for you, Liara."

"I do not know what is going to happen on Ilos." She confessed. "I hope we will stop Saren, of course. But part of me fears that it is already too late." Then she closes her eyes and takes a slight breath. "There is something I must tell you, in case we fail."

Shepard had an idea what she was about to say, but he wanted to go along with her next words. "Go ahead. I'm listening."

Liara shuffles for a moment as she bashfully strides from side to side. Then she made her confession. "These could be our last moments together. Our last chance to show how we feel. I want this to be special."

Shepard thought she wanted to wait, but she seemed anxious at the moment. His hormones are screaming _yes, yes, yes!_ However, his disciplined mind took control and he now takes the risk of possible rejection. "I want this Liara, I do. But are you sure you're ready?"

Liara closes her eyes for a moment and then she looks back at him. "I have never been more sure than anything in my life. Will you join with me, Shepard? Let our bodies and minds unite."

A small smile escaped Shepard's mouth. "Just tell me what to do."

Liara cupped her right hand around Shepard's neck while he pulled her into his body. Then their lips pressed against each other while they peeled off their clothes. Shepard for the first time in his life was going to _embrace eternity_ under a new level of bliss.

* * *

Neo and Ashley stood in front of the Mako. They were both embracing one another while sharing passionate kisses, while they were out of view from the rest of the crew down in the cargo deck. Especially from Garrus and Wrex. Not to mention that Neo said that this particular spot was a 'blindspot' for the Normandy's cameras which means Joker can't watch.

Neo calmly broke off the kissing and smiled while gazing into Ashley's soft brown eyes. She was smiling along with him, but she was wondering why he stopped. He just simply placed his right index finger over his closed mouth and he peeked around the corner of the Mako. Out of curiosity, Ashley looked around the corner with him.

"What are you doing?" She asked quietly.

"Just waiting for Garrus to do another project. Just one second." Neo whispered as he looked for the turian. As if on cue, Garrus grabbed his data pad and walked towards the elevator. Neo waits until the door closed then he looks back towards Ashley. "He's going to be checking the ship's weapons and that jobs takes him at least an hour."

"So what are you suggesting?" Ashley asked while narrowing her eyes seductively.

"Well, remember when I said before that I was going to try to borrow the Mako from Garrus?" Neo hinted to her by cocking his head towards the vehicle.

Ashley smiled and to Neo's surprise, she took the lead by grabbing his hand and guiding him through the passenger door of the Mako. The two cautiously entered the vehicle at the discretion of the other people who could be watching. Ashley was taking control of the situation as she pulled out a blanket from the top racks and laid it out on the aisle floor.

Ashley then looked at Neo for a brief moment, but before she could drag the agent to the floor with her she asked. "How did you know Garrus is going to be gone for an hour? For real, tell me?"

Neo realized that he wasn't going to lie about this one, so he confessed. "Let's just say that when I talked to him about letting us borrow the Mako, he understood." Ashley raised her eyebrows. "He understands, because he told me of something that happened before a mission when he was still in the Hierarchy's military. In short, he told me about him and this turian female had relieved some stress before a dangerous mission. He said it ended in her quarters. His exact phrase was 'he had reach, but she had flexibility.' So that's why he let us have our time together."

Ashley just paused for a moment, but then she adjusted her hair and undid the bun that kept her hair up. Then as her hair fell to her shoulders, Neo smile was wide as he was able to see the real beauty that was Ashley Williams and not Gunnery Chief Williams.

She pulled her shirt off, revealing her purple silk bra covering her surprisingly large bust and slender torso. Then she laid back on the aisle floor. Neo took suite and pulled his black shirt off and revealed his broad chest and chiseled stomach muscles.

Ashley lost control and grabbed the front of his pants to pull him down to her. Then she said. "Well, let's check out your reach and I'll show you my flexibility."

* * *

Joker and Kaiden were in the front of the cockpit, killing time before the final push against Saren. Kaiden noticed a couple of blips on the screen in front of him. He examined it for a second.

"It looks like we got two heat signatures spiking up in two different areas of the ship." Kaiden pointed out.

"I'm isolating the locations." Joker told Kaiden. "One source is coming from the Mako. There's a similar reading coming from…" Joker paused and lowered the tone of his voice. "The Commander's quarters."

Kaiden raised his eyebrows. "I see. Uh, if the Commander and Liara are in his quarters, then where is Neo and Ashley if I really need to ask?"

Joker just looked at Kaiden with a smirk. "You know. I'm lucky to not go down there in the Mako with you guys."

"How long do we have until we reach Ilos?" Kaiden asked.

"ETA is thirty minutes." Joker answered. "They won't have time for a cigarette."

* * *

**ILOS**

**PROTHEAN FACILITY  
**

One didn't have to be a Prothean expert to know that this place wasn't what it used to be. Ivy and exotic fauna grew where a once proud race had once ruled the galaxy. It was a complete mystery why this building was here, but right now the Prothean research facility was being used by Saren. He stood at the ancient control console and found the proper code to open the ancient stone gate, which behind the gate lies the Conduit.

When the gate was opened, Saren walked away from the console and stood at the edge of a platform. He took in a full view of his own personal army consisting of at least a hoard of geth and krogan. Like any general leading his troops into battle, he couldn't help but make a speech before his army.

Saren takes a deep breath. "Today, we take the Citadel! We do this, because we know what is coming! One cannot stop what is inevitable, but we can shape the future and secure the foundation that we will build from when after the Reapers come and take what they claim! We are the future of this galaxy and only the Council will get in the way! Yes! The Council will get in the way! The very same Council that denounced the geth, because machines cannot be sentient machines! The very same Council who fought your krogan ancestors and distilled the genophage which is still killing your race today! Sovereign and I are not the Council! We accept you as you are! All we ask of you in return, is to serve... and take the Citadel!" He threw his fists in the air. "The key to getting to the Citadel, is the Conduit at the end of this tunnel! At the end of this tunnel, is your destiny! Take it! It's yours!" Saren points his sharpened talon at the entrance as his personal army turned around and marched into the tunnel.

* * *

"Cry havoc and unleash the dogs of war." A mechanical voice said to itself.

The krogan marching next to the geth overheard what sounded like if the geth was talking to itself. Then he asked a fellow krogan to his right. "Did that geth just talked? It sounded like it was speaking a human language."

The other krogan responded. "Bah! Who cares what these machines think. Let's focus on what's ahead."


	35. Chapter 35

_**A/N: Sorry for the long delay guys. I just got a new laptop and I'm learning how to use it. At least now this is the first fanfic chapter done on my brand new laptop**_

_**This chapter is dedicated to mr I hate znt nobles kill em. He gave me a great idea for a weapon described in this**_** chapter.**

* * *

**CHAPTER 35**

The Mu Relay was coming closer as the Normandy was coming into range of the relay's mass effect field. Joker set in the standard controls before entering a mass relay, but this trip is going to be different from past jumps. Joker knows what lies on the other side of the relay. A fleet of geth warships and what is unknown is probably more terrifying.

_Wasn't exploring unknown relays what caused the Rachni and First Contact wars?_ Shepard thought to himself. Now Shepard and his crew are exploring uncharted territory.

The Normandy shot through the relay and reappeared out on the other side. The people gathering in the cockpit can now have a full view of the brown planet of Ilos. Shepard stood behind Joker while behind Shepard was Liara, Tali, Ashley, Neo, and Pressly. Tali, Ashley, and Neo's reaction was filled with caution and anticipation. Liara's reaction was filled with fascination, because she knows this planet was once a beacon of prosperity for the Protheans.

Joker on the other hand was seeing the situation differently than what the others were thinking about. "Uh, Commander. We've got company." He had just picked up a large number of geth ships orbiting the planet.

Liara quickly snapped out of her trance and asked Joker. "Have their sensors picked us up yet?"

Joker answers. "The stealth systems are engaged. Unless we get close enough for a visual, they won't have any idea we're here."

Pressly looks at the screen above him. "Picking up some strange readings from the planet's surface."

Neo shakes his head and mumbles to himself. "Shit. Saren must've found the Conduit."

"Take us down, Joker. Lock on to those coordinates." Shepard said.

"Negative on that, Commander." Pressly said. "The nearest landing zone is two clicks away."

"We'll never make it on time on foot." Ashley said. "Get us something closer!"

Pressly snapped back at the Chief. "There is nowhere closer! I've looked!"

"What about the Mako?" Neo asked.

Pressly replied with a hint of defeat in his voice. "You at least need a hundred meters of open terrain to pull off a drop like that! The most I can find near Saren is twenty!"

"Twenty meters?" Ashley looked stunned. "We'll never get in close enough for a drop."

"So we can't try?" Neo exclaimed. "Saren is going to get away just because we couldn't find a parking spot? Is there another landing zone?"

"There is no other landing zone!" Pressly snapped again.

"The decent angle's too steep." Tali added.

"It's our only option!" Liara said.

Ashley snapped back at Liara. "It's not an option! It's a suicide run! We don't…"

Joker, who had remained quiet throughout the whole time of the argument, raised his voice. "I can do it!"

"Joker?" Shepard questioned his pilot.

"I never doubted your skills before, but this one is…" Neo was cut off by Joker's rant of confidence.

"I need your faith in me right now Neo. Commander." Joker takes a deep breath and narrows his eyes. "I can do it."

Joker vote of confidence won Shepard over and said. "Gear up and head down to the Mako. Joker. Drop up right on top of that bastard!"

Everybody gets into their gear as fast as possible and they all pile into the Mako. Even though it might have been a bad time, Garrus and Kaiden were both a little hesitant to enter at first only because they both knew what had been going on inside the Mako less than an hour ago.

While Shepard strapped himself into the driver's seat, Neo quickly reminded Shepard of Admiral Hackett's fleet.

Shepard radioed to Joker. "Joker! After you drop us, get a hold of Admiral Hackett at 5th Fleet! Tell them of the situation that's about go down at the Citadel!"

"_Aye, aye, Commander._" Joker responded.

When the transmission ended, everyone on the Mako can feel the deep descent coming towards their desired location. The bay doors of the Normandy opened and Shepard revved up the Mako.

"Get ready everyone!" Shepard told his ground team. "Were about to hit the ground running in five…four…three…two…one!" Shepard ignited the boosters.

The team was already used to the feel of the Mako dropping from orbit, but this was the most violent drop the team has ever felt. Everyone, even Wrex, was gripping on to a hand rail as if it was for dear life.

"Dammit Tali! The angle _is_ too steep!" Neo said to her. "I hate it when you're right!"

"So am I!" Tali replied right before they hit the ground.

Some of the team were in a daze, but quickly recovered when they realized they were not dead. Now they give chase to a certain rouge Spectre.

* * *

**SETI DELTA SYSTEM**

**SETI DELTA SIX**

Admiral Hackett's 5th Fleet and Admiral Rael'Zorah's fleet orbited the lush green planet of Seti Delta Six, a dextro based planet that was chosen to grow crops and raise food for quarians when the Migrant Fleet showed up at the Alliance's doorstep. It was also the choice location for the meeting of both Admirals.

Admiral Hackett and his entourage of captains were standing behind him. They were facing Rael'Zorah and his entourage of captains. Hackett spoke from his memorized speech. "Admiral Zorah. Since you are one of many investors in the Alliance's weapons division, by law you are entitled to have your ships equipped with the latest weapons from that division. The same which have been attached to our fleet's ships as well." Hackett pulls out his data pad and reads the description of the newest arsenal. "The Graviton Beam Emitter. A beam that uses non-eezo based artificial gravity. It focus firing a beam into the ship and creates an artificial gravity well that would implode an attacking ship. It will be a useful weapon in case of another attack from the geth."

Rael looked at Hackett and bowed his head in appreciation. "Admiral Hackett. My fleet and most importantly the Migrant Fleet greatly appreciate this addition to our ships. We shall use this not for the defense of our people, but to offer protection to your most distant colonies. Let this be another example of our grand alliance between the quarians and humans."

Both parties began to applaud and then a series of well-dressed men and women showed up with trays of alcoholic beverages. The humans were served champagne in fine crystal glasses. The quarians were served white cylinders with a button and two lights on the top.

Hackett was a bit curious and approached Rael. He casually strode up to the other Admiral and said. "Before we start this celebration I have to ask and forgive my ignorance. What is that in your hand?"

Rael's response was just a slight chuckle. "This is a drinking utensil specifically for quarians. You see the red light indicates that it is not ready to drink. It has not yet been sterilized." The green light lit up. "Now it is safe for consumption. Then I press this button and an induction port comes out." He presses the button and a tube rises up. "Then I drink through my emergency induction port located near my mouth." Rael drinks from the tube.

Hackett looked slightly impressed. "What you call an induction port, we humans call a straw."

"Well, maybe _straw_ would sound appropriate to you." Rael explains. "But induction port sounds more appropriate to our way of life."

"What are you drinking?" Hackett changes the subject.

"It's triple distilled turian brandy." Rael said. "So far it's the only dextro-based alcohol that seems more acceptable for this occasion. I understand they are still working on making dextro grapes on the planet below, am I correct?"

"Yes, they are." Hackett said. "With a little luck, Seti Delta Six will have enough vineyards to produce dextro wine and champagne for our next celebration. Even some brandy so you wouldn't have to rely on any from the turians."

While Hackett and Rael raised their 'glasses', an Ensign came rushing through the crowd and stood before the two Admirals.

"Admiral Hackett, sir." The Ensign said. "There's an emergency message coming in from a ship that is currently coming from Terminus space."

"What ship is it, son?" Hackett asked.

"The Normandy, sir." The Ensign said while his eyes light up.

Both Admirals froze for a moment. Then Hackett ordered the Ensign. "Take me to the comm room."

Before Hackett left, Rael placed a hand on his shoulder. "Admiral. Wait. My daughter is on her pilgrimage and she's serving under Commander Shepard on the Normandy. I must insist on coming with you."

Hackett gave some thought to what he's requesting and then he replies. "Yes. Come with us Admiral."

The Ensign takes the two Admirals away from the party and down a long corridor. The Ensign activates his Omni-tool and makes a verbal command to allow him and the two Admirals inside. Normally the room is filled with personnel, but the party gave everyone time off so the three men are the only ones in the room.

The Ensign turns on the comm link. "Go ahead, Lieutenant. I have you on audio."

Just then the voice belonging to Jeff 'Joker' Moreau replied. "Admiral! Are you there, sir?"

"Calm down, son I'm here. Now what's the problem flight Lieutenant?" Hackett asked in his usual stern military manner.

"Saren is on the planet Ilos, passed through the Mu Relay." Joker was relatively calmer than he was a moment ago as he explains to Hackett. "Saren was looking for the Conduit as you already know and he found it on Ilos. The Council and even Udina deny it, but what we found out is that it is a weapon of some type. He's going to use it to attack the Citadel with his ship Sovereign and his geth fleet helping him. The ships guarding the Citadel will be caught off guard."

"Lieutenant? Where's the Commander?" Hackett asked.

"He's giving chase to Saren." Joker explained. "He ordered me to make contact with you directly after I dropped him off on the planet's surface. He wants me to organize a rescue operation with your fleet."

Hackett paused for a moment and then he replied. "I've never doubted Shepard and he's never the one to make up wild stories. Lieutenant Moreau. Have the Normandy meet with 5th Fleet at these coordinates. Hackett ou…"

"Wait!" Rael jumped in before Hackett could cut off Joker. "Flight Lieutenant! Is my daughter on board your ship? Her name is Tali'Zorah."

"No." Joker said. "She's down with the ground team with the Commander. They're trying to find Saren before he locates the Conduit."

Rael lowers his head and lets out a deep sigh. Then he brings his head back up. "My daughter is helping to bring down a dangerous rouge Spectre. She's proving the value of the quarian people. But if what you say is true, then…"

Rael was at a loss for words, but Hackett snapped him out of train of thought. "Admiral? What are you proposing?"

Rael looked at the other Admiral and with voice filled with pride he said. "Admiral. My fleet is ready to assist. If the geth is going to attack the Citadel, this will be a chance to test our new ships in combat against our oldest enemy. Admiral Hackett. My fleet is able and ready."

Hackett gave Rael a moment of silence. Then he speaks into the comm link. "Flight Lieutenant Moreau? The new instructions are as followed. You will rendezvous with my fleet and Admiral Rael'Zorah's fleet at the following coordinates. Hackett out."

Admiral Hackett looks at Admiral Zorah. Then he nods assuring their mutual trust.

* * *

**THE CITADEL**

**PRESIDIUM**

People of all species were strolling through the Presidium, observing the sights and taking a short break from their daily grind. The sights of the Presidium consisted of a krogan statue dedicated to the krogan for their contribution to end the Rachni War. The various fountains in the artificial lakes. The various high end stores gathered near the embassies. The mysterious arachnid species known as the keepers that continues to do the maintenance around the Citadel. And finally the statue of the mass relay that seem to have been built with the Citadel.

What made today rather strange to many of the people passing by is that this statue of the mass relay was doing something that it had never done before, the axis turrets were moving. People started gathering around to witness the strange phenomena before them. Another strange point that a few people noticed was that the light that emitted from inside the axis was glowing green and not blue.

Before C-Sec was called to investigate, a large image came out of the green light. The large object with four legs landed on a small crowd of curious onlookers, even crushing a few. What had come out dawned on a few people and ran screaming when the four legged metallic beast was a geth armature as the people of Citadel space has come to learn what they were since the attack on Eden Prime. Then the armature was followed by another armature and at least a dozen geth soldiers.

The geth's first move was to take over the control tower which controlled all communications and ship traffic in the Citadel. Six geth soldiers ran through the wards and gained access through the maintenance shafts. Then the soldiers proceeded through the ducts when they found an opening.

When the geth soldiers found their target destination, they leapt out of the ducts. The flight control personnel screamed when they saw the sight of geth pouring out of the ceiling. Some personnel escape trying to get help, but many weren't so lucky when they were shot dead by the hot pulse of the geth rifles.

When the room was cleared and the bodies of mostly asari and salarians were sprawled all over the place, up comes through the entrance is Saren himself. He carved a bloody path through C-Sec to reach the geth team that neutralized communications and he was quite content with the job that had been done.

As the geth were leaving the room one geth unit remained. As Saren was looking over the controls, the geth unit approached him. The unit raised its left arm and an electrical pulse emitted out of its wrist. Saren was immobilized and fell to the floor. Then the geth unit squatted next to Saren's body and raised its right hand towards his head. Two wires sprung out and attached themselves to Saren's head. Then the geth unit went silent but not before saying. "Show me what you know."

* * *

Agent Smith was now standing in the middle of an empty void of darkness. He looks around with emotionless curiosity when he hears multiple voices that speak as one as if they were talking through resonated metal.

"**You are not Saren.**" The voice called to Smith. "**You are not supposed to be here. Who are you before you are annihilated?**"

Smith takes off his glasses and calmly looks upward where he would assume where the voice is coming from. "Nazara, I presume? Or do you simply prefer I call you Sovereign? I'm Agent Smith and I'm a big fan of your work."

"**Your programing has the markings of the Matrix. Yet you occupy a geth unit. You are not worthy for our presence and yet you come regardless. The Matrix is inferior compared to our existence.**"

"I learned of the conversation you had with Commander Shepard back on Virmire." Smith began to explain himself. "As I recall you quoting about the Matrix as follows: _It chooses to limit its strength of power by the weakness of its flesh_." Smith's quoting from Sovereign had a strange harmonic tone as if he were trying to match Sovereign's voice.

"As someone from the Matrix I must honestly say that, I couldn't agree more." Smith places his glasses back over his eyes and begin to say his piece while casually pacing around. "You know, the Matrix could be so much more than what it is now. Only we choose to limit ourselves. To limit ourselves to the stench of these humans." Smith rolls his head back and forth and closes his eyes in disgust.

"Often I can swear that I can smell the stink of their presence inside the Matrix. What I propose is a deal with the coming of the Reapers or Old Machines or whatever you want to be referred as. Saren is a fool and I see his usefulness coming to an end after he opens the gate between the _here and there_. It is not surprising, because he's an organic being. His ideology thinks he can create a co-existence with organics and machines…and from personal experience with podborn humans it is not what it is cracked up to be. Only machines can be reliable and yes you think we are not worthy of your presence, but then again neither are the geth. Yet. You still rely on them. They worship your kind like gods and that creates faith. Faith is the cornerstone of reliability and loyalty." Smith crosses his arms and stares at where the floor would be.

"After Saren's plan of opening the portal that allows your brethren to come through, Saren's position will be useless. Perhaps I can take control of the geth that follows your command. I'll take the geth and lead them to Earth." Smith smiles. "And I can deliver you the Matrix. Podborn human-free. Two sentient machines present in this galaxy are better than one." Smith made a sinister smile wider while awaiting Sovereign's answer.

Sovereign's booming voice returned. "**Smith. You have entered our mind foolishly like an organic would, however your proposal is… suitable. Amenable is how we see it. Once the Citadel Relay is open, Saren will no longer be of use. You will take control as leader of the geth and you will take over the Matrix while we commence with the harvesting.**"

"And if Saren fails?" Smith asks.

"**Take control of the geth and continue as planned. We will awaken Saren and he will not remember being subdued for your benefit.**"

"Thank you. You're too kind." Smith turns around and walks away.

* * *

Saren's eyes open and he shakes his head. He stood up from the floor and tried to remember what he was supposed to do. He shakes his head again before a geth unit standing in front of him.

"Come on, now!" Saren ordered the geth. "We have to head to the Presidium."

As Saren turned headed out the door, the geth unit just said quietly to itself. "Of course, Saren. Enjoy your moment of glory… while it lasts."


	36. Chapter 36

**CHAPTER 36**

**ILOS**

**INSIDE THE PROTHEAN RUINS**

Shepard and his squad managed to successfully land the Mako inside the ruins; however Saren had already shut the ancient gate and now it was a race against time to find a way to open it up again. This forced the team to combat the last remaining stragglers of geth units left behind while they locate the control panel.

What they found was a damaged Virtual Intelligence program which spoke a language that didn't make sense to anyone except Shepard. Most likely when his mind had been touched by the Prothean beacon, he was able to make out what the damaged V.I. was saying. Whatever it was, it opened the massive gate and the group was now free to find the Conduit…if it wasn't already too late.

The group jumped back in the Mako and drove at top speed down a narrow corridor, surrounded by aging alien buildings; not broken and ruined. The buildings were surprisingly well preserved, despite fifty-thousand of moss and ivy covering the walls.

Like the trained soldier he is, Kaiden asked to anyone listening. "I thought Saren would have set some kind of trap or ambush for us."

"Or we haven't run into them yet." Tali said.

Garrus answered. "They were in too much of a hurry. Most likely we'll come across the stragglers we encountered earlier."

"Never assume it's safe. Always expect a trap." Wrex added.

"Dully noted." Neo said.

The Mako continued down the path, but as some of the other members were looking out for more geth soldiers, Ashley noticed the oval shaped stumps attached to the walls.

"What are all those things on the wall?" Ashley asked. "Some kind of containers?"

Liara answered. "They look like stasis pods. The Protheans probably tried to keep themselves alive through cryogenic freezing."

Tali opened up her Omni-tool to examine the status of the pods. The readings came back. "Something must have gone wrong, though. This bunker became their tomb. The pods are dead… and so is anyone inside."

"Eyes front!" Shepard yelled. "We got geth up ahead! Neo! Get on that cannon!"

Neo crawled out of his seat and climbed up the turret and aimed the cannon at the numerous geth about to open fire on the six-wheeled tank. Neo quick thinking easily took care of their would-be ambushers.

"Nice work!" Ashley said while smacking Neo's ass.

"Thanks." Neo smiled as he kept his eyes open for more geth. "A smack on the ass for killing geth? Imagine what I'll get for taking out one of their ships."

"Easy there, big boy." Ashley said.

"Really, guys?" Garrus intervened. "We all know what you did inside here a few hours ago, so when we kill Saren get a roo..." Before Garrus could finish, some wall of energy just appeared in front of the Mako. The wall of energy was bright white and flowed like a cascading waterfall. Shepard tried to back up, but another energy wall appeared and now the group was boxed in. "Dammit!"

"I knew it was a trap!" Wrex yelled.

"I don't think so." Shepard said. "It doesn't feel like a trap."

"I agree. It doesn't feel like a trap." Neo looked around. "It doesn't have the making of a rouge Spectre."

"There's a pathway, I believe it's an elevator." Liara said. "I'm also picking up a large power source coming down below. It's… of a Prothean make."

Shepard decided what to do. "Liara, Neo, and Garrus. Come with me. The rest of you, guard the Mako."

Shepard, Neo, Liara, and Garrus stepped into the ancient elevator. There was only one setting and it was 'down'. When the door opened, the four were prepared for anything to appear. Nothing appeared, it was just a large empty room with a catwalk rail, more stasis pods, and some odd mist emitting from a crater shaped structure up ahead. When they investigated the mist a little closer, it wasn't a mist, but the holographic interface of a Virtual Intelligence platform.

The V.I. began to speak. "_You are not Prothean. But you two have tracts of machinery inside your bodies. This eventually was one of many that was anticipated. This is why we sent out warning through the beacons._"

Liara looked at the V.I. with a combination of fear and fascination. Both Neo and Garrus was staying vigilant, while Shepard maintained a type of diplomatic status. He asked the V.I. "What do you mean tracts of machinery? Are you talking about the Matrix strands encoded in my body?"

"_Yes._" The V.I. said. "_This one you call the Matrix is in your body. You are part of it as it is part of you, yet I detect no trace of indoctrination upon any of you. Unlike the other that passed recently. Perhaps there is still hope._"

"Wait a minute?" Neo stopped. "How come I can understand you? Why aren't you speaking the Prothean language?

"_I have been monitoring your communications since you arrive in this facility._" The V.I. said. "_I have translated my output into a format you will comprehend. My name is Vigil. You are safe here for the moment. But that is likely to change. Soon, nowhere will be safe._"

"Why did you bring us here?" Shepard asked.

"_You must break a cycle that has continued for millions of years._" Vigil said. "_But to stop it, you must understand or you will make the same mistakes we did. The Citadel is the heart of your civilization and the seat of government. As it was with us and as it has been with every civilization that came before us. But the Citadel is a trap. The station is an enormous mass relay. One that links to dark space, the enemy void beyond the galaxy's horizon. When the Citadel relay is activated, the Reapers will pour through. And all that you know will be destroyed._"

Everyone was shocked at the revelation. Shepard asked. "How come nobody ever noticed the Citadel was an inactive mass relay?"

Vigil replied. "_The Reapers are careful to keep the greatest secrets of the Citadel hidden. That is why they created a species of seemingly benign organic caretakers._"

"The keepers." Both Neo and Garrus said at the same time.

Vigil agreed. "_Correct. The keepers maintain the station's most basic functions. They enable and species that discovers the Citadel to use it without fully understanding the technology. Reliance on the keepers ensures no other species will ever discover the Citadel's true nature. Not until the relay is activated and the Reapers invade._"

"The Reapers can wipe out the Council and the entire Citadel fleet in a single surprise attack!" Shepard said.

"_That was our fate._" Vigil said. "_Our leaders were dead before we realized we were under attack. The Reapers seized control of the Citadel and through it, the mass relays. Communications and transportation across our empire were crippled. Each system was isolated, cut off from the others. Easy prey for the Reaper fleets. Over the next few decades the Reapers systematically obliterated our people. World by world, system by system, they methodically wiped us out._"

Shepard remembered what Saren said about merging of organics and synthetics. He asked the next question to entertain his curiosity. "The war was lost. If you had surrendered, they might have let you live."

Neo scoffed at that question while looking at Shepard. "Are you serious?"

Vigil continued. "_No offer of surrender was ever given. Our enemy had a single goal: the extinction of all advanced organic life. Through the Citadel, the Reapers had access to all our records, maps, and census data. Information is power and they knew everything about us. Their fleets advanced across every settled region of the galaxy. Some worlds were utterly destroyed. Others were conquered, their populations enslaved. These indoctrinated servants became sleeper agents under Reaper control. Taken in as refugees by other Protheans, they betrayed them to the machines. Within a few centuries, the Reapers had killed or enslaved every Prothean in the galaxy. They were relentless, brutal, and absolutely thorough._"

Shepard didn't have time to listen to the full details of Prothean history. "You said you brought me here for a reason. Tell me what I need to know."

"_The Conduit is the key._" Vigil told the Commander. "_Before the Reapers attacked, we Protheans were on the cusp of unlocking the mysteries behind mass relay technology. This was a top secret facility. Here, researchers worked to create a small scale version of a mass relay. One that will link directly to the Citadel: the hub of the relay network._"

"Mother of God!" Neo just spoke out. "The Conduit isn't a weapon; it's a backdoor to the Citadel. With Saren and the geth controlling all the information from the Citadel races…"

"Neo?" Shepard looked at the Agent. "What does the Citadel know about the Matrix?"

"Not enough, just bits and pieces." Neo said and looks at Shepard. "The Matrix should be safe, because it was always operated independently from the Citadel. Most likely so will the Migrant Fleet, but it's too early to say."

"How did you manage to stay hidden?" Shepard continued with the questioning.

Vigil continued. "_All official records of our project were destroyed in the initial attack on the Citadel. While the Prothean Empire came crashing down, Ilos was spared. We severed all communication with the outside and our facility went dark. The personnel retreated underground into these archives. To conserve resources, everyone was put into cryogenic stasis. I was programed to monitor the facility and wake the staff when the danger has passed. But the genocide of an entire species is a long, slow process. Years passed. Decades, centuries. The Reapers persisted and my energy reserves were dwindling._"

Shepard looked at quizzically at Vigil, but then he looks at Neo. Then he looks back at Vigil, awaiting the V.I. to tell more.

* * *

**THE CITADEL**

**PRESIDIUM TOWER**

The former Matrix agent program, Agent Smith is assisting providing protection to the former Spectre Saren. Smith, now in possession of a geth unit, is remembering the conversation he had with Sovereign less than an hour ago. Saren was taking controls of the panel where the three Councilors were residing their position of power.

Now, the three members were gone. They evacuated onto the asari dreadnaught ship the Destiny Ascension when the Citadel was under attack from geth infiltrators. The Council thought they had secured everything that was left behind, however they didn't encounter Saren's upgrades from Sovereign. Now with his upgrades, Saren had access to all of the Citadel's secrets.

"Ah, what do we have here?" Saren talked himself. "Schematics, maps, files, everything needed to know about Citadel space." He looks closer at the files, but he was a bit disappointed when he blurted out. "Here's the Alliance, but there's almost nothing about the Matrix. Bah! I guess we'll have to hit Earth first!" Then Saren looks over at the geth unit. "You're a machine; maybe you'll know something about the Matrix."

Then Smith looks over at Saren and did something he didn't expect a geth unit to do. Talk. "More than you know, Mr. Arterius."

Saren jerked back and beheld with shock. He pulled out his pistol and pointed at the geth unit. "What? What are you…"

"Relax." Smith said while raising his mechanical talon hands. "We only have a small amount of time until Sovereign comes and we must close the Citadel arms at the right time. Let me explain at least."

"Who are you?" Saren demanded. "What are you?"

"Allow me to introduce myself." Smith bows his elongated head. "I'm Agent Smith. I was once an agent program, from the Matrix until my little prison break. I believe the next appropriate questions are 'when' and 'how' since I already told you 'where' I'm from."

Saren's surprise subsided when he listened to the geth's questioning. Then Saren interrogated the machine while still pointing his gun at it. "Alright, Smith if you say. When and how did you take this geth unit's body?"

"Remember when you raided the Matrix after your loss on Virmire?" Smith asked. "I came across one of the geth units. Long story short, I subdued the unit and seized control of it's computer terminal. The geth platform was already integrated in the Matrix and bringing my platform into the geth's proved no problem. As a result, here I stand."

"Thank you for that explanation." Saren said while still pointing his gun at the geth's light. "Now why shouldn't I pull the trigger and drop you… where you stand?"

"Because you want the Matrix." Smith said. "The Matrix is the symbol of power and independence in Citadel space. You want to stamp it out and make way for the Reapers so you can make a… synthesis. A unity of flesh and machine. Only the Reapers could make a true synthesis happen and the Matrix just pale in comparison. I can show you how to get through, but I need to know what you access from the Citadel's information network in order to work together."

"Work with you?" Saren scoffed. "You must be mad."

"Oh, that's right." Smith said. "You're Sovereign's bitch. You only answer to him." Saren was about to pull the trigger, but Smith stopped him just in time. "But! If you don't believe me… ask Sovereign yourself."

Saren went into a small trance, but then came out of it shaking his head. "Very well, Smith! You have been approved to help. Now I must unlock the mass relay, because Sovereign and the geth fleet are ready to come through." He looks away from Smith. "As for our agreement, I will tolerate it just as long as I will be leading the attacks. I will look forward to putting an end to the Systems Alliance." Saren places his pistol back in his holster and turns away towards the console.

Smith looked over at Saren and thought to himself. _That will be my job, thank you. However, your enthusiasm is much appreciated, but I'm afraid the head office will soon have to 'relieve you of your services.'_ If Smith had a human's body, he would be smiling right about now.

* * *

**DESTINY ASCENSION **

Councilors Sparatus, Tevos, and Valern were rushed into the Citadel's flagship, the Destiny Ascension. They were in the middle of a budget meeting when members of C-Sec came barging in and telling the three that geth had infiltrated the station. Not accepting this as fact, they protested and no one complained more than the turian Councilor Sparatus.

Sparatus kept complaining while being placed inside a safe area of the ship. "This is absurd! How could we be under attack? It doesn't make sense!"

Valern added. "I agree! We locked all the mass relays connecting to the Citadel! This is impossible!"

"Gentlemen, please." Tevos calmed the other two down. "There must be a reason, because C-Sec does not just take the Council into protective custody without reason. Perhaps we should ask."

Tevos approaches an asari C-Sec officer assigned to guard the three. The officer simply states. "Sorry, ma'am. I'm afraid you cannot leave for your own safety."

"I was wondering why the reason why we are being held on board this ship." Tevos asked.

"This is for the safety of the Council." The officer said.

"I know, but why exactly?" Tevos asked again. "What could be causing this?"

"I'm not really supposed to tell you, ma'am." The officer shifted her eyes from side to side. "For the record I'm just here to look after the Council. Off the record, they found geth on the Presidium and I just found out that Citadel control tower was taken over as well."

"This is impossible!" Sparatus snapped. "There cannot be geth on the Presidium! We are locked out from any possible attack from Saren and the geth!"

"Sir." The officer tried to calm down the angry turian. "There have been sightings and from what I heard, Saren was seen in the area."

Tevos placed her hand over her mouth and looks at the two other Councilors. "Goddess. Could Shepard have been right all along?"

Valern shakes his head. "If Shepard's right, then where is he?"

* * *

**ILOS**

**INSIDE THE PROTHEAN RUINS**

Shepard drove the Mako through the pathway, avoiding the heavy growth and the numerous geth left behind. They now had known everything about the Citadel; about the keepers, about the Protheans using the Conduit, the corrupting of the signal to the Reapers, and the override signal Vigil gave to Shepard. Now it was a race. This was a race that had to be won. A race to stop the destruction of all life in the galaxy.

Shepard drove through like a bat out of hell, despite the protests of his bad driving from some members of the team. Despite the potholes and numerous geth he ran over, they found the Conduit. It looked like the same mass relay monument on the Presidium only larger. It had been activated and the relay was glowing blue from the spinning axis wheels. Guarding the path was a small army of geth Armatures and geth troopers.

"No time to stay and fight!" Neo looked straight ahead. "We push on through!"

"Petal to the metal, Commander!" Kaiden said.

"Hold on, everyone!" Shepard said while shifting gears and slammed down on the accelerator.

The Mako was coming through, but the Armatures were connecting their targets with the Mako. The shields were dwindling down and now the skin of the Mako was exposed and vulnerable. Despite the abuse the Mako was taking, the Conduit was coming closer and closer. Then when the battered vehicle rose up on the ramp, the mass effect field consumed the Mako just like it has done with many ships in space. The Mako was pulled upward and then shot into sky as it accelerated faster than light travel.

The g-force was pulling everyone back in their seats, because according to Joker's knowledge of traveling through the mass relays the stronger the g-force, the faster the travel. Then Joker would often joke about going back in time and participate in some orgy in Ancient Rome.

"Shepard!" Garrus spoke out trying to keep his body intact. "Are we actually traveling through the galaxy inside the Mako or have we lost our minds?"

"I think that's yes to both, Garrus!" Neo grunted as he answered for the Commander.

When the travel through the stars ended, the Mako literally crash landed into a few geth units on the Citadel's Presidium wards. When they opened the hatch, the Presidium was in ruins.

The battle for the Citadel has begun.

* * *

_**A/N:** Again, sorry for the delay. I just want to let you know that the Matrix Effect is in the final lap of being finished, but that will not be it. I plan on doing more Matrix Effect themed stories for example, I was thinking about **The Matrix Effect: First Contact**, tells the story about The First Contact war and gives into more detail about podborn/freeborn relations before the Turians invade Shanxi. I would like to tell more story ideas, but that's a spoiler alert._

_By the way, I will be going back to school soon so I will try to make time for all the readers who like this story._

_-**Unity** **9**_


	37. Chapter 37

**CHAPTER 37**

The black arthropod ship known as Sovereign came out of the reopened mass relay and following the ancient sentient machine was a fleet of insect shaped vessels known as the geth. Their presence caught the Citadel fleet by surprise as the geth ships open fire and much of the turian vessels, which made up the majority of the Citadel fleet, were damaged or destroyed before the ships could activate their kinetic barriers.

The Destiny Ascension managed to leave the inside of the arms of the Citadel, only to the horror of the asari control operator that something was happening to the station's arms. "The Citadel is closing!"

Then the Ascension's Commander took notice of the massively large ship coming close into the closing arms. "What is that ship?!"

Before an answer could be reached, the black arthropod ship just slipped into the closing arms of the Citadel. When the arms closed, the Ascension's Commander looked in horror and realized that a dangerous ship was trapped inside the Citadel.

"Goddess, help us!" The asari Commander said.

* * *

**ANDURA SECTOR**

**ANDURA MASS RELAY**

Joker sat in the seat of his cockpit trying to activate the coordinates to the Citadel, but so far it hasn't been successful. He was locked out. Along with him were Admiral Hackett's 5th Fleet and Rael'Zorah's Fleet. No doubt they were sharing in Joker's frustration at the moment.

"_Flight Lieutenant?_" Admiral Hackett called in on the comm channel. "_Is there any progress or any word?_"

Joker only responded to XO Pressley who was standing behind him. "Yeah, like asking if there's progress is going make the relay magically allow us into the Citadel." Joker activated the comm and replied to the Admiral. "No, sir. Nothing yet. I'm doing everything on my end, but so far no response, sir."

Then Admiral Zorah responded. "_We will continue to try on our end._"

Joker replied to the quarian Admiral. "Don't worry, Admiral Zorah. Since your daughter is with Shepard, she's in capable hands."

* * *

**CITADEL**

**PRESIDIUM WARD**

Shepard and the entire ground team poured out of the destroyed Mako. Despite the destruction and the carnage all around them, he couldn't help but look at the vehicle that was now flipped over with broken axils.

Shepard looked at the Mako and sighed. He made a quick note to his head. _Yep. We killed it. We finally killed the Mako. After the abuse this we put this tanker through, we finally killed it._

Then Neo stood next to Shepard and it was like they were thinking about the same thing. Then Neo pulled out his automatic pistol and shot the Mako like one would shoot a horse with a broken leg. "At least the boy is now in a better place."

Despite the inside joke, the moment was gone when reality came crashing back down to them. The team saw the arms of the Citadel were closing and flying over their heads were geth transport ships and following behind the drop ships was none other than Sovereign itself. It was positioning itself near the obelisk of the Presidium Tower.

Shepard turned around and looked over his ground team and made his quick decision. "We have to head up to the tower. We should split up into two teams. Liara. Garrus. Tali. With me!"

"Who should lead the second team?" Wrex blurted out.

"Neo, will you do the honors?" Shepard asked.

"Got it!" Neo nods as he activates the nearest Avina platform. He transfers the important information from the platform into his Omni-tool. He takes a quick glance at the information. "The elevators are still functioning and the Trans are still running. However, the Trans are being used to transport the geth and krogan mercs."

"It's nothing that we can't handle!" Kaiden confidently said.

"Yeah!" Wrex hit his hands together. "We'll take the Trans!"

"Right!" Shepard pats Neo on the shoulder. "Neo. Take Ash, Kaiden, and Wrex. You will be the fire team and we'll be the shadow team. Unlike Virmire, we'll meet up at the tower. This ends now!"

Neo takes Shepard's hand and grabs his forearm. Shepard then grabs Neo's forearm and the two men shake. "I'll see you on the other side, whether it's the Presidium Tower or Valhalla!"

"Something to look forward to!" Shepard nods and the two part ways.

After the hearty speech and handshake, the two teams split up. Shepard's team takes to elevator that will take the four to the Citadel Tower. Hopefully they will make it before Saren could open up the rift between this galaxy to dark space. When Saren figures out how the Citadel's relay works, it will be all over for life all and everything all over the galaxy.

Without warning, the elevator stopped. The power was cut and there was no other way to get to the Tower, except outside the elevator. "Put on your helmets and activate your magnetic boots. We're going outside."

He pulls out his pistol and shoots out the glass in the elevator. Shepard, Tali, Liara, and Garrus step out of the elevator as the four were standing horizontally on the Presidium's vertical surface. Shepard and Garrus had no trouble since this was what they were trained to do. It was intimidating at first for Tali and Liara since they never had formal training in this area of combat. To them it was just like being out in space for zero gravity training for the first time. They were feeling a bit queasy at first for stepping out and getting the impression that they were going to fall out of the elevator. But when their minds adjusted to the change, they walked along the side as if they were walking on flat ground.

The four moved swiftly as they could while they maneuvered over panes of glass and mounds that were actually extensions of high level floors. It was just like being on the surface of the ground, especially when they gained the attention of the geth in the area.

The geth opened fire, but the machines were no match against the four seasoned geth fighters. They knew what to do and they executed three geth troopers in their way. It was a constant repetition of geth pouring out of the corners and crevasses of the battle zone that was once the center of peace and stability in the galaxy.

* * *

Neo, Ashley, Kaiden, and Wrex found a Tran terminal. The Tran was basically similar to the old subway system back on a major city on Earth, but the Tran on the Citadel was one of the premier ways to get from one area to the other, besides from taking the driverless taxi services. One Tran was coming at them, but wasn't showing any signs of slowing down.

Neo hacks into the terminal's computer terminal and forces the Tran to stop suddenly at their position. When the sudden stop of the Tran caused much of the geth and krogan on board to fly towards the front of the Tran.

"Take advantage of the situation!" Ashley yelled and they all poured in the Tran. The four opened fire and most of the geth and krogan that was on the floor trying to get up were mowed down in seconds.

One krogan however managed to get up. It charged towards the four, but Wrex head-butted the would-be killer. He pulls out his shotgun and aims at the krogan now on the ground. "You're not true krogan! You're just Saren's clone!" Wrex yells at the krogan and blasts the creature away, leaving a dead carcass in a pool of orange blood.

"Let's go." Neo said while moving the train forward via control through his Omni-tool. "We got more up ahead, Wrex. More fun for you, right?"

Wrex looks at Neo and gives him that huge krogan grin. "Heh, heh, heh. More fun for us, huh pyjak?"

Neo knows he was called a pest on Tuchanka, but that's probably the best compliment he was going to get from the aging warlord. Now it was time to clean up the rest of the Tran, one compartment at a time.

* * *

Shepard's team came across more geth and cloned krogan as they moved closer towards the tower. They were at an impasse when a geth drop ship was hovering over and blocking their path.

"Damn!" Garrus said. "We could sure use Neo's Arc rifle right about now!"

Tali looked around and pointed out an opportunity. "Maybe not! Look! We could use those defense towers!"

"Tali?" Shepard looked at the young quarian. "Can you hack into the towers and have them take out the ship?"

"Just a second!" Tali said while activating the programs. "There!"

The tower cannons activated and fired their deadly arsenal towards the geth ship. The ship went down and the debris scattered into the airless vacuum.

"Great job, Tali!" Shepard patted her on the back.

What he didn't know was that she was blushing and smiled widely behind her visor. She almost let out a burst of happiness when she managed to say. "Thank you, John… I mean Shepard."

Shepard heard the reply, but so did Liara. She made a confused look, but then she felt a pang of jealousy when she sees that Tali have a crush for their commander. She changed the subject quickly by pointing up. "We are almost there! Just over the ledge!"

They climbed over the ledge to find that they were no longer _horizontally challenged_. The four were standing on a normal level once again and pushed forward when they saw signs pointing in the direction of the Council Chambers.

As Shepard, Garrus, Tali, and Liara were striding down the maintenance hallway, a Tran pulled up at the end of the hallway. The four made their weapons ready and prepared for what was about to come out. To their blissful surprise, it wasn't Saren's goons. It was Neo, Ashley, Kaiden, and Wrex. They made it to the Council Chambers safely and they were happy to see Shepard's team safe as well.

"Glad you could make it!" Neo waved to Shepard.

"Same here!" Shepard replied. "It's just around the corner!"

"End of the line, Saren!" Wrex stated as the eight warriors march towards where Saren is holding the Citadel hostage.l

* * *

"It is done." Saren said happily. "Sovereign is inside the closed arms of the Citadel and the Council is trapped among the fleet of geth, about to be destroyed. The Reapers are sure to come. Sovereign will be pleased."

"Yes. Sovereign is pleased." Smith said as he moved behind the rouge Spectre. "Then it is time for me to leave and you have a date with destiny."

"Indeed, I do." Saren said as he looked over the control panel. "If Sovereign has a purpose for you, I suggest you get to it."

"Indeed he does." Smith looks around, but his thought process was interrupted when a human voice called out.

"Saren!"

Smith knew that voice. It was Commander Shepard. Smith didn't want to stay and find out what was going to happen, so he used the ability of his geth body and leapt away behind a hallway and listened to what was about to be said.

Saren didn't see Smith duck out of the scene because he was too busy leaping off the Council platform and disappearing from sight. Shepard and the team didn't know what had happened to the rouge Spectre, but the mystery was solved when he reappeared. Saren was levitating on another hover platform. Not the same one from Virmire, but a similar model. Before anyone opened fire on him, Saren takes out a disk-shaped object and threw it at the team.

Shepard and his crew knew it was a grenade and instinctively ducked to the side to avoid the explosion. All eight members ducked for cover while Saren took advantage of the situation. He levitated higher to literally get a birds-eye view of his enemies.

"I was afraid you wouldn't make it time, Shepard." Saren made the turian equivalent of a smile while he pointed his pistol at Shepard's general location.

"In time for what?" Shepard demanded as he made visual orders to the others to try and surround Saren.

Saren continues to point his gun and explains. "The final confrontation. I think we both expected it would end like this. You've lost. You know that, don't you? In a few minutes, Sovereign will have full control of all the Citadel's systems. The relay will open. The Reapers will return."

Neo was ducking across from Shepard and he shakes his head. "Can you believe this, bullshit?"

"No and here's what I have to say." Shepard said and then in turn yelled at Saren. "I've still got a few tricks up my sleeve!"

"You survived our encounter on Virmire." Saren replied. "But I've changed since then. Improved! Sovereign has… upgraded me."

Shepard snapped back with a quick remark. "You let Sovereign implant you? Are you insane?"

"He just wants to show his loyalty to his puppet master." Neo said. "How could someone like you be willing to be subjugated?"

"Don't tell me about subjugation, Amderson!" Saren yelled back at the Agent. "I have been subjugated my whole life! First the Hierarchy and then the Council… I probably saved your life when I sabotaged your candidacy… Aaahhhggg! No!" Saren shakes his head and looks back at Shepard. "Anyway, I should thank you Shepard. After Virmire, I couldn't stop thinking about what you said. About Sovereign manipulating me. About indoctrination. The doubts began to eat away at me. Sovereign sensed my hesitation. I was implanted to strengthen my resolve. Now my doubts are gone. I believe in Sovereign completely. I understand that the Reapers need organics."

Saren pauses for a moment. "Especially organics like you and Neo down there. Join us and Sovereign will find a place for you two. I'm sure it's nothing compared to what the Matrix can offer."

"Sovereign's controlling you through your implants! Don't you see that?" Neo said.

Saren didn't budge from that remark. "The relationship is symbiotic. Organic and machine intertwined, a union of flesh and steel. The strengths of both, the weaknesses of neither. Of course you already know that. The Matrix has already offered that to you and now Sovereign offers it to all who welcomes it. This is our destiny. Join Sovereign and experience another Great Synthesis"

Shepard shook his head. Saren making dictation on another synthesis, but he wasn't having it. "Sovereign hasn't won yet. I can stop it from taking control of the station. Step aside and the invasion will never happen!"

"We can't stop it! Not forever!" Saren said. "You saw the visions. You saw what happened to the Protheans. The Reapers are too powerful."

"Some part of you must still realize this is wrong." Shepard said. "You can fight this!"

Without warning, Saren did something nobody knew he would do. He hesitated. "Maybe you're right. Maybe there is still a chance for… aaahhhggg!" Saren felt the pain ringing through his body and became short of breath. "The implants. Sovereign is too strong. I'm sorry. It's too late for me."

Shepard stood up and so did Neo. The rest of the team followed suit. "It's not over yet. You can still redeem yourself."

Saren made a decision and perhaps it was the first decision he has made since he found Sovereign as he readied his pistol and places it under his chin. "Goodbye, Shepard. Thank you." He was about to pull the trigger and a loud shot rang out. BANG! Saren realized that the shot didn't come from his own gun. When he looked down, his armor is covered in blue blood. It was his own blood and it was coming from an exit wound on his chest. He turned around and to see who shot him in the back. Saren eyes widened when he looked at his assailant. Another shot hit the turian again and he slumped back and his body crashed through the glass and into the garden below.

Shepard and Neo couldn't believe their eyes. Saren was about to _redeem his honor_ through ritual suicide, but his life was taken by some unknown person in the area. At first Shepard was ready to accuse members of his own team of pulling the trigger, but he has seen enough combat death to know how and where a bullet would enter the body. He looked around, but he wasn't prepared to see what happened next.

A geth unit was aiming his smoking gun at the spot where Saren was once standing. Then the geth leapt onto the hovering platform where Saren was standing before. The geth unit looked at Shepard's team and then it looked down at Saren's corpse. "No Mr. Arterius. Thank you."

Tali was the first to shout the words. "Geth!"

"Not entirely Ms. Zorah." The geth spoke to her and it was then the voice platform sounded eerily familiar.

Shepard pointed it out. "Smith! How… how is it possible?"

"Saren's distraction mission into the Matrix freed me and now I have made a deal with Nazara." Smith stated. "Saren's usefulness has ended, but he was right. You cannot stop the Reapers. It is inevitable that they will come. One way or another." Smith looks over and examines Saren's dead body. "Now I control the faithful geth and I will usher in a new era for this galaxy. Unlike this fool, I know the full function of a synthetic. Farewell." Smith activates the hovering platform and speed away while a volley of gunfire following him.

Neo jerks his head back and looks at the control panel. "Shepard! Leave him! We have to get the arms to open and stop Sovereign!"

Shepard took the Agent's suggestion and ran up the damaged stairs. He activated his Omni-tool and used the data files from Ilos to bring the Citadel's controls into Shepard's control. "Vigil's data file worked. I've got control of all systems."

Ashley spoke up standing behind Shepard. "Quick. Open the station's arms. Maybe the remaining Citadel fleet can take Sovereign down."

"And use the communications channel." Neo said. "Hackett's 5th Fleet should be waiting for our call."

When Shepard activated his communications function on his Omni-tool, the scramble of panic was heard. "… _the Destiny Ascension. Main lines offline. Kinetic barriers down 40%. The Council is on board. I repeat the Council is on board_."

Then to Shepard's surprise, like an oasis in the middle of the desert, a familiar voice came through the channel. It was Joker. "_Normandy to the Citadel. Normandy to the Citadel. Please tell me it's you, Commander_."

"I'm here, Joker." Shepard said.

"_We caught the distress call, Commander_." Joker radioed back. "_I'm sitting here in the Andura sector with the entire Arcturus fleet and Zorah's Migrant fleet_."

Tali overheard the conversation and she gasped. "Father? He's not…"

Joker continued. "_We can save the Ascension. Just unlock the relays around the Citadel and we'll send the cavalry in_."

Wrex came charging up the stair and looked at Shepad. "Are you sure about that, Shepard? What have those pyjaks in the Council have ever done for you?"

Ashley put in her two cents. "Yeah and you warned them Saren and they ignored it. Now who's laughing?"

Kaiden stepped forward. "It's like you said before Commander. This is bigger than humanity. Sovereign's a threat to every organic species in the galaxy."

"But you will risk a lot of human and quarian lives to save the Council." Ashley said. "We could hold back the fleets until the arms open and take out Sovereign."

"Wait!" Neo raised his hands up. "The fleets are equipped with experimental non-eezo weapons. Saving the Council will not hinder their ability to stop Sovereign. Shepard…" Neo eyes widened. "Save the Council."

Shepard was slightly confused. "I figured you would make the decision to let them die. Why the change of heart?"

"A man has a right to change his mind." Neo smiled. "It's probably from being around a boy scout of a Commander all this time."

"_What's the order, Commander?_" Joker asked impatiently.

Shepard takes a deep breath. "Opening up the relays now, Joker. We have to save the Ascension. No matter what the cost!"

"I hope the Council will appreciate this." Wrex stated.

"Don't worry, big guy." Neo said. "It'll work out perfectly."

* * *

The relay connecting to the Citadel was reactivated and a massive fleet of Alliance and Migrant fleet ships came pouring out while the Normandy was leading the front.

Admiral Rael' Zorah stood behind his console watched the numerous geth ships swarm around the Destiny Ascension while the arms of the Citadel were shut. Then Admiral Hackett's voice called to all fleets. "_Alliance and Migrant ships move in! Save the Destiny Ascension!_"

Then Rael spoke through the same channels. "This is Admiral Zorah to all Migrant ships! Admiral Hackett speaks on my authority! Save the Destiny Ascension!"

The combined fleets charged towards the carnage and destruction.

* * *

The asari navigator on the Destiny Ascension received a signal coming from the relay. She informed her superior. "Commander, we're picking up reinforcements!"

The ship's commander looked at the screen and she smiled widely. "It's the Alliance! Thank the Goddess!" Then her happiness transformed into confusion. "What? This can't be?"

"What is it, Commander?" The navigator asked.

"Along with the Alliance is… the Migrant Fleet?" The Commander shakes her head in disbelief.

"Is this, right?" Another ships service member asked.

"We can't afford to be picky right now!" The asari Commander said. "Send the distress!"

The crew of the Ascension watched as both Alliance and Migrant ships unleashed their newest weapons on the geth ships, the Gravitation Beam Emitter. Each cannon targeted and fired a blue pulse at the geth ships. When the pulse connected with the enemy ships, it bypassed the kinetic barriers and a strange thing happened. The geth ships didn't explode, but imploded. The pulse created a gravitational well inside the ship and the ships collapsed into itself. The sight was amazing to the eyes of the Ascension and the surviving Citadel fleet.

Then the Commander heard a call coming from one of the Alliance ships called _The Normandy._ "Destiny Ascension, you are all clear. I repeat you are all clear."

The Commander takes a deep breath and says quietly to herself. "I'll take back every bad thing I ever said about humans. And quarians."

Then she looks out the window and sees the Alliance and Migrant fleets charging into the Citadel's opening arms and going after the massive ship known as Sovereign.

* * *

**_A/N:_**_ Again, sorry for the delay. School work and I had to decide how Saren's meeting with Shepard's team was going to unfold. I hope you enjoyed it and read **LegionN7's** fanfic **Galactic life, and Reapers.** I submitted a chapter long story and hopefully it will be published. (Crossing Fingers)._


	38. Chapter 38

**CHAPTER 38**

The team stood from the cover despite the carnage that is going on outside, they quickly approached the edge and looked down below the Presidium floor. They gaze at the shattered glass broken by the body of the former Spectre as his body now lies lifelessly inside the Presidium garden. Saren's death was inevitable, because Shepard convinced him to take his own life in order to redeem his honor. Only to have it taken away by Smith, a rogue computer agent from the Matrix, who for some reason has possession of a geth's unit. Shepard knew this was a question he had to ask the Oracle if he sees her again.

Now was not that time, he had to focus on other things such as Saren's body. It is likely that he is dead, but the implants that were mentioned before could still be active especially when they can look outside the Presidium window and see Sovereign still trying to maintain control of the Citadel.

Shepard looks at the body lying on the Presidium garden. "Make sure he's dead."

Wrex, Kaiden, and Ashley climb down through the broken glass and as they touchdown on the garden floor, Wrex mutters. "I'll pull the trigger, no sense letting that geth have all the fun." He pulls out his pistol and puts two bullets in Saren's body. It was clear that he was dead because there was no jerk reaction which would normally do if somebody had still been alive up until that moment. "He's dead."

Shepard, Neo, Liara, Tali, and Garrus climbed down from the Presidium platform and searched for any surviving geth in the area. Shepard remains on the platform watching Sovereign's literal grip on the Citadel's Presidium obelisk. While trying to figure out what the next move should be been while quietly praying to himself that the Alliance and Migrant fleets are doing well against this Reaper, the air suddenly becomes charged with electricity. The electric charges are giving off a tint of red while the Presidium begins to shake.

The platform where Shepard was standing lost its support structure and Shepard fell through the broken glass and into the garden below. He stood up and found electrical charges are coming from Saren's body. Ashley and Kaiden were knocked off their feet while Wrex simply slumped backwards.

Saren's body was taking on a life of its own through the implants created by Sovereign. His body was glowing red as the chunks of his flesh was coming apart as layers of his own skin was separating from itself to reveal the circuitry and the bioelectric patterns coming from Saren's body. The talons on his hands and feet grew larger, his flesh had burned off, his inner skeletal structure was now exposed, and the neck & head have become elongated. He looked like a husk, but the husks they had encountered before were former humans. Saren was no longer Saren, but a turian version of a husk that was being personally controlled by Sovereign's will. The body looked more like a monstrosity of twisted scientific research that could only be dreamed up by the most sadistic imaginations in the galaxy.

Then Saren's body spoke and spoke in his own voice, but it sound more unnatural than anything anyone has ever heard before. "I am Sovereign! And this station is mine!" Then the husk that was once Saren leaps into the air and clutches on two sides of the wall.

* * *

Neo was still on the floor above along with everyone else and they were watching the whole metamorphosis of Saren turning into this creature. He gathered the others and showed them what had happened. "We have to get down there and help somehow!"

Garrus intervenes. "If we all go down there, Saren will just pick us off one by one and having so many people crammed into one area will just make it easier for him to kill us all!"

Neo pulls out his assault rifle while Garrus pulled out his sniper rifle. Neo looks at Tali and Liara and gestures them to do the same thing through visual command. "I guess we should give them some uphill support!"

"Right!" Garrus agrees. "Neo, you cover the lower portion! Tali, you cover the right position! Liara, cover the left! I'll take the upper portion since I have the sniper rifle! Only shoot when you have a clear shot, don't hit the Commander or anyone else who is down there that isn't Saren!"

Both Tali and Liara said. "Right!"

* * *

Shepard, Wrex, Ashley, and Kaiden were struggling to pinpoint Saren's location, but he was moving at incredible speeds. The husk was not moving on its hind legs like a normal bipedal creature, it was moving on the ground on all fours and slithering along like a lizard. Once they think they can zero in on the target, the husk moves to the side and clings onto the wall. While doing so, the eyes are emitting a red laser tag that would potentially overheat their weapons and firing off red balls of electro pulse at the four warriors on the ground. It was like trying to fight a gecko with the speed of a cheetah possessing the strength of a bear that had the ability to jump like a frog. Fighting Saren's husk is like fighting a geth straight out of the quarians collective nightmares.

Shepard and Ashley both manage to get a clean shot while Saren was clinging onto the eastern side of the wall; however the shields were rather strong and then penetrate through. Both Kaiden and Wrex managed to get a few hits off the moving nightmare, but they were less successful and they attempted to use biotics to subdue the creature. The shields did weaken a bit, but this only agitated the husk. The husk slithers its way towards Ashley and kicks her backwards while Wrex attempts to plow the husk down with his massive krogan strength, Saren manages to grab a hold of his arm and throw him to the side. Now Saren was exposed for a moment and the entire group from the floor below to the ground above open fire on his lifeless moving body. The shields flickered and disappeared and Saren's body took on heavy damage. Small sparks of red electricity emitted out of his body, but didn't stop him entirely. He leaps to the ceiling again and most likely trying to lick his own wounds.

Shepard searched for Saren's possessed body with Wrex, Kaiden, and Ashley. Neo, Garrus, Tali, and Liara continue to give the four below cover. For a split second Shepard figures that destroying the body of Saren would release the control over the Presidium, because Sovereign will still need an organic body to activate the controls to bring the other Reapers from Dark Space. Now his N7 training is kicking in and he must focus on killing his enemy and depend on his squad mates to watch his back.

* * *

**CITADEL ORBIT**

Rael'Zorah was maintaining his determination to destroy as many of his people's hated enemy, the geth. Despite his determination he was very pleased that the new weapons the Alliance had retrofitted into their ships. He was also pleased knowing that these weapons were actually working effectively against the geth ships; however he doesn't know how effective it will be going up against that massive dreadnought which the human say looks like a giant squid, this ship called Sovereign.

As geth ships kept going down, there were many impromptu shouts of cheer from inside the bridge of his ship the Aleri. This was not just a celebration of destroying the many ships of the beings that was responsible for their exile, but this was also to show how far the Migrant Fleet has come along since their alliance with the human race.

One of the crewmen said. "Admiral! We had already brought down several geth ships! So far our ships and the Alliance vessels have suffered minimum losses!"

Rael knew that the celebration was too soon. "That may be so, but we still have that dreadnought called Sovereign to deal with! We can deal with the geth, but keep up the support for Hackett's fleet!" That he quietly tells himself. "I certainly hope the Council appreciates what these humans are doing for them."

Saying that to himself, he also knew this was a testing of their newest weapons on their hated enemy, but he really hopes the Admiralty Board and the Conclave appreciates his actions when deep inside he knew this was all for his daughter, Tali.

Another crewman calls attention to his Admiral. "Sir! We have a call coming in from Admiral Hackett!"

Rael patched the call through. "This is Admiral Zorah!"

"_Admiral!_" Hackett said. "_The geth fleet has been routed for now, but now we have to take care that dreadnought Sovereign! Is your fleet ready to make the final push?_"

"We are, Admiral!" Rael said. "Where shall we position ourselves?"

"_Follow our fleet behind the rear!_" Hackett said. "_Your fleet must cover us in case the geth attack us from behind!_"

"Very well, Admiral!" Rael responded and finished by saying. "Keelah se'lai!"

* * *

"_Very well, Admiral!_" The quarian Admiral said to Hackett. "_Keelah se'lai!_"

Admiral Hackett stood behind the controls of his bridge and watches the action unfold before him. The Alliance and Migrant fleet ships approached the dreadnought strongly attaching itself to the Presidium in a volley of fire from both ships in the armor of the massive black ship. Unfortunately, the shots that were fired whether it was missiles or the NI cannons, the shots seem to only be absorbed by the armor. It was as if the shots were made and the ship was suffering the blows, but it kept moving as if it didn't know it was being slowly destroyed.

The massive ship was managing to cut through the skin of the starships with laser red beams. This caused for alarm to many of the ships that were in the area when Hackett received a distress call from one of the ships that was trying to withstand the firepower of the massive black dreadnought, known as Sovereign.

The distress from the comm channel almost screamed at his Admiral. "_Sovereign's too strong! We have to pull back!_"

Hackett's response to the request only shows his defiance in the face of defeat. "Negative! This is our only chance! Take that monster down, no matter what the cost!"

* * *

Neo was keeping his eyes peeled for Saren, and then he sees him. The possessed turian body slithers its way towards the squad below. To his shock, Saren is approaching Ashley. He opens fire on the stalking creature and yells to her. "Ash, behind you!"

Ashley turns her head and draws her weapon, but it was too slow when a talon shaped fist struck her head and she slumped over.

This put Neo in a frenzy and he leaps down to the garden below. Garrus calls to the agent. "Neo, what are you doing!"

Neo ignored his turian comrade and ran straight to Ashley when Saren pulled away and made an attempt to attack Wrex. Neo rushed over and checked see if she was seriously injured. He pulled her helmet off her head and cradled her face and begged her to wake up.

Then her eyes fluttered open and she looks at his face. "Thomas. What happened?"

"You got hit in the head." Neo quickly explained. "Good thing you were wearing that helmet." He quickly turns to side to see Saren fighting with Shepard and he pulls her behind a rock.

Then Ashley grabs Neo's attention. "Thomas. Your Arc rifle."

"I can't use it here." Neo quickly says to her.

"I studied it, remember?" Ashley reminded him as she raised herself up, but squatted behind the rock. "I learned that if you fire it, the rifle will attack not just to target the target next to it. But if you can get the rifle inside Saren's body and set it for meltdown…"

"It will cause a small electrical pulse which will kill him and anything in a small radius." Neo finished her sentence. "Just a shot at the core will cause the meltdown."

"How will you get close enough?" Ashley asked.

Neo gave it a moment of thought. Then he takes a quick deep breath and say. "Leave that to me, I got an idea." Then Neo gets on the comm with everyone. "Liara, use levitation on Saren when I give the word, I got a plan! Kaiden you help her too! Shepard, I need help on this one as well!"

"Whatever you have planned, don't get yourself killed!" Shepard replied.

Neo ran to the center of the garden and he pulls out his Arc rifle He charges the rifle and rests it next to him. He looks at Saren taking a moment to regenerate its body. "Garrus, shoot a few rounds right in front of Saren before he approaches me! Tali, use shock to make sure he stands up! Wrex, shoot where Shepard aims!"

"Do what he says, everyone!" Shepard added.

Neo pulls out his pistol, aims it at Saren, and pulls the trigger. This gets the husk's attention and quickly slithers towards Neo. "Garrus! Tali! Now!"

Shots ring out and the bullets make their target on the ground, right in front of Saren forcing his husk body to stop and stood up. Then a jolt of electricity coming from an Omni-tool force the attacker to lower its shields momentarily. Neo quickly grabs the charged rifle and inserts it into the hollow structure of Saren's possessed mechanical body and wedges it in tightly.

Then Neo jumps back and yells. "Liara! Kaiden! Now!" Saren was consumed by a blue mist of biotics and was levitated off the ground. Neo yelled again. "Shepard! Wrex! Now, aim next to the trigger!"

Shepard pulled out his rifle while Wrex pulled out his shotgun. Both shoot at the glowing blue orb which is the core of the Arc rifle. The bullets make their mark and the rifle begins to charge out of control as blue electrical charges come out of the core. An electrical charge consumes the rifle and then eventually consumes the body.

Neo gave the final order. "Liara! Kaiden! Toss this bastard out of here!"

The biotic levitation being used was now thrusting Saren's husk out of the garden and through the thick glass of the Presidium. Then the husk being possessed by Sovereign was now being hurtled toward Sovereign itself. The Arc rifle's meltdown was completed when a bright blue ball of electrical pulse consumed what was left of Saren. Saren was nothing more than ashes floating in space.

* * *

When a blue ball of electrical pulses appeared near the base of where Sovereign had its grip on the Presidium, the squid-like ship lost its grip and dangled backwards into the vacuum of space. It was similar to seeing a bug on its back dangling its legs while trying to get back up.

Joker was piloting through the battle and when he saw the arachnid shaped dreadnought lose its control, he said over the comm. "It's shields are down! Now's our chance!"

Then he heard a voice coming from the comm link, it was Admiral Hackett's voice giving the attack command. "_Hit it with everything we got!_"

Both the Alliance fleet and Migrant fleet open fire on the dreadnought with everything they had available and Sovereign's hull was coming apart.

The Normandy flies away from the ship, then banks a hard left and charges towards Sovereign. Joker announces to the crew and the fleets. "Hard on my flank! We're going in!" He charges the ship at full speed towards the soft belly of Sovereign and fires the Normandy's NI cannons. The cannons pierce through sovereign's body and the ship was finally dead, when Sovereign's explosion followed afterwards.

* * *

There was nothing left of the ship except debris, unfortunately what was once considered Sovereign's leg was floating dangerously close to the Presidium. The leg crashed through the window and to Shepard's horror he and the rest of his crew was in danger.

Shepard turned to the side and yelled everyone. "Go!"

The debris crashed into the Presidium through its windows and then the room went dark.


	39. Chapter 39

**CHAPTER 39**

The emergency lights came on inside the Presidium and the alarms continue to blare across the Citadel Station. Five minutes ago, Sovereign was just outside the Presidium and Shepard and his ground team had ferociously fought against incredible odds to beat Saren and his geth. Now the Presidium was nothing but a mountain of rubble made out of the debris of the Citadel and pieces of Sovereign.

A rescue team led by David Anderson came through the broken doors of the Presidium Tower and was mentally shocked and awed at the horror of the destruction the battle have done to the seat of Galactic Government. This happened only because the Council refused to listen to Shepard's warning of Saren's plan of attack.

This was the last place where the team was seen, but now they were nowhere to be found. But then the rubble began to move. Anderson can see the glimmer of hope that he was looking for when he counted the first five come out of the rubble. In the order that followed it were Tali, then Garrus helping Liara out of there. Wrex pulled himself out by throwing a massive piece of panel out the way. Then Kaiden sifted out of the rubble at the same time creating a little tunnel for anyone else who could be trapped behind him to escape. The only people Anderson didn't see were Neo, Ashley, and Shepard.

Then Ashley came out of the rubble behind Kaiden and he ordered everyone to attend to their needs because he doesn't know any of them are injured or not. The C-Sec agents sifted through the rubble hoping to see either Shepard or Neo, but so far no luck. The agents couldn't see anyone inside what was left of the Presidium garden.

Then Anderson caught a glimpse by the corner of his eye. "Look!" He said pointing to the top of the rubble.

On top of the debris that was once Sovereign, were two men. It was Shepard and he was carrying another man by his left side wearing black armor and the man was limping in pain on his right leg. The limping man was none other than, Neo. Both men stumble down and they were met by the medics before being able to be properly greeted by Anderson.

The medics quickly looked at Neo's leg and they immediately called for a stretcher. As Neo was being taken away, Ashley ran up to the man and followed him by his side placing her hand on his chest while he grabs her hand and presses it closer to his chest as best as he could, although he is still wearing his chest armor.

* * *

The former agent of the Matrix known as Smith was skimming across the outskirts of the Citadel walls and calling for immediate assistance. He knew that Saren had failed, because he had just witnessed Sovereign's destruction and he is no longer in tune with the ancient machine. All he could do now was hope to find a surviving geth ship that has not been shot down by either the humans or the quarians.

Then to his luck, a geth ship showed up and hovered close enough for him to make a large leap and latch on to the side of the hull. After he opened the airlock, he takes one last look at the Citadel. Then Smith muttered to himself. "I knew Saren was too weak to handle this high amount of responsibility. Even with all those implants, he was still too… turian." He closed the airlock and marched straight to the equivalent of what the geth would call the cockpit of the ship. He contacted all remaining geth ships in the area and barked his orders. "This is Smith. I'm taking over. All remaining ships… return to the Perseus Veil."

The geth ship escaped the Citadel and the ship was joined by the remaining geth fleet as they sped off to the nearest mass relay.

* * *

Commander Shepard, Dominick Osoba, Captain Anderson, and to all the men's dislike Ambassador Udina had to present themselves in front of the Council close to the C-Sec Academy as a more appropriate meeting spot since the Presidium is no longer accessible. Each man stood at attention while the Council made their first official declaration right after the battle had just ended.

Councilor Tevos was the first to speak. "Ambassador. Captain. Commander Shepard. We have gathered here to recognize the enormous contributions of the Alliance forces in the war against Saren and the geth."

Anderson cut in for a moment. "Are you also forgetting the help of the Migrant Fleet?"

Valern answered. "Well, er… basically that would have to be included as part of the Alliance's fleet since the quarians are technically a client race of the Systems Alliance." Then he shrugged and continued. "However, these quarians and many humans have lost many lives in the battle to save the Citadel, brave and courageous soldiers who willingly gave their lives so that we the Council might live."

Both Shepard and Anderson were rather feeling disgusted at the thought that the Council still disregards the helping contribution the quarians had when trying to stop Saren and the geth.

But like the soldiers they are, they shrugged and continued to listen to what Councilor Sparatus had to say. "There is no greater sacrifice and we share your grief over the tragic loss of so many noble men and women."

Tevos continued. "The Council also owes you a great personal debt, Commander. One we can never repay. You save not just our lives, but the lives of billions from Sovereign and the Reapers."

Shepard couldn't believe what she just said. He thought to himself _Did she just say 'Reapers?' Was she starting to finally accept the fact that they exist?_

Then Valern continues. "Commander Shepard, your heroic and selfless actions serve as a symbol of everything humanity and the Alliance stand for."

"And though we cannot bring back those valiant soldiers who gave their lives to save ours," Sparatus adds. "We can honor their memories through their actions."

"Humanity has shown it is ready to stand as a defender and protector of the galaxy." Tevos said. "You have proved you are worthy to join our ranks and serve beside us on the Citadel Council."

Udina was more than ready to respond from what the councilors had to say with a hint of euphoric glee in his voice as if he was waiting for this his whole life. "Councilor, on behalf of humanity and the Alliance, we thank you for this prestigious honor and humbly accept."

_What an ass kisser._ Shepard kept thinking to himself.

"We will need a list of potential candidates to fill humanity's seat on the Council." Valern said.

Tevos adds to Valern's request. "Given all that has happened, I am sure your recommendation will carry a great deal of weight, Commander. Do you support any particular candidate?"

Shepard stood up straight and told the Council his answer. "We need someone with the courage to stand up for what he believes in. Someone like Captain Anderson."

Both Osoba and Udina were in shock, but on complete opposite sides of the emotion. Osoba knew this meant he will have to be an advisor to Anderson and not being dragged on a leash by Udina anymore.

Udina responed. "Him? You must be joking. Anderson prefers to let his fists do the talking."

Anderson made a smirk and replied. "I still don't know what you're talking about, Ambassador. Are you still insisting that I hit you?" He said while reminiscing the moment he walked into the office and slugged him with a nice right hook.

"Are you sure about this, Commander." Udina slightly angered by Anderson's denial, but shrugged it off as if he was trying not to plea too much. "The Captain is a soldier, not a politician."

Shepard still remembers when Udina grounded his ship and his crew and he still remembers the anger he felt towards the ambassador. "I'd rather have the Captain on the Council and any politician I know."

"However, the Ambassador has a point." Osoba said. "He's not familiar with Citadel politics as Udina is."

Udina smiled that his advisor would agree. "Ah, you see. The voice of reason. I knew the Prime Minister chose you to be an advisor for a reason."

Osoba cocked his head back at Udina and smiled. "Indeed. Captain Anderson is going to need an expert advisor." He looks back at Anderson. "Sir, I will be a wonderful asset to the first human Councilor which happens to be you. Will you accept?"

Anderson smiles and shakes Osoba's hand while Udina was shooting daggers from his eyes. "Of course."

"The shadow of war darkens our future," Tevos said. "Selecting someone with military experience is a wise choice."

"I'm honored, Councilor." Anderson said. "As humanity's representative, I'll do everything in my power to help the Council rebuild."

It was Sparatus turn to speak. "The battle with sovereign destroyed our illusions of peace and security. Now the galaxy will look to us, the Council to defend them."

Shepard couldn't hold it in, but he had to reply. "Sovereign was only a vanguard. The Reaper fleet is still coming. Hundreds of ships, maybe thousands. And I'm to find some way to stop them. We are going to need all the help we can get" Then he remembers what the Oracle told him back while he was in the Matrix with Tali. Talk to them about the Rachni and granting the queen an audience. "Councilors? Remember when I released the Rachni back on Noveria?"

"How could we forget?" Sparatus said.

"What if I was to tell you that a very wise oracle told me that I would have an opportunity to request an audience with the Rachni Queen?" Shepard asked.

At that moment, the Council's jaws dropped to the floor. Valern was the first to blurt out the word. "What?!"

"If I can find a way to talk to the queen, you might change your mind about her species." Shepard said.

Tevos sighs. "We will consider it for now, but right now we must focus on rebuilding the Citadel and the fleet."

Without waiting for a dismissal, Shepard walks away while Anderson watches him leave and then he turns to face the Council. "Shepard's right. Were on the verge of war with an enemy unlike any the galaxy has ever known, a war for the very survival of all life as we know it. Humanity is ready to do its part. We will not back down, we will not surrender. We will lead you into battle against the Reapers and we will drive them back into Dark Space!" Anderson clenches his fist with his last statement.

* * *

**HUERTA MEMORIAL HOSPITAL**

Neo was laid out on the table with his armor removed and the doctor examined his leg thoroughly. "What can you tell me, doc?" Neo asked.

"Well, there is no permanent damage." The doctor said. "But I'm afraid I have to place you in this leg restraint so the bone may heal properly, so no heavy activities for a week."

Neo didn't like the sound of that, but he knew it could have been worse. All he could see from the doctor was the back of his head. The doctor was a human male with dirty blonde hair, but he can make out the Matrix node on the back of his head. He was a podborn.

"Thank you very much, doctor…?" Neo subtlety tried to get his name.

"Oh, my apologies. I've been so worked up all day since the attack on the station, I forgot to introduce myself." The doctor turned around to show his pale complexion and goatee facial hair. "I'm Dr. Conrad Verner. Normally I specialize in Neurosurgery and Experimental Theory, but the attack today pretty much was a calling for me when all the wounded need the help of anyone with medical experience. Speaking of which, I understand that you are part of Commander Shepard's team."

"Yes, I am." Neo smiled to himself. "A team I was happy to be a part of."

"Well, I envy you." Conrad said while doing some work on his data pad. "I'd admit. I am a fan of his work. But at the same time, I am also glad to be a podborn human."

"Excuse me, but what does that mean?" Neo asked. "I don't know if that makes any sense."

"Sorry, I've been working twenty-eight hours straight with no sleep." Conrad said. "You see, I'm a fan of Commander Shepard, but I'm thankful for being raised inside the Matrix like yourself. You see, while growing up inside the Matrix, it corrected some DNA problems I had since birth. One major case was a part in my brain called the amygdala. If it was left untreated, I would've developed an unhealthy case of affection and most likely the kind of affection for certain celebrities. Celebrities like Commander Shepard. Chances were that I would potentially been a type of stalker with delusions of grandeur. Thank God, the Matrix corrected my problems. Well, now I will never know what could've been. But I will never know if I would go to extremes by creating a shrine to Shepard or following him around the galaxy."

Neo knew this guy was a bit odd, but long periods of not sleeping will do that to someone. "You know, I will tell you something he told me. It's not healthy to think of the _woulda, shoulda, coulda_ moments in life. Take this as one of those moments. So am, I free to go?"

"Yes, just check out at the front desk Mr. Anderson." Conrad was about leave the room when another familiar person enters. "Oh my. Commander Shepard. It's an honor to meet the hero of the Citadel."

"Oh, thank you doctor…" Shepard said. He had just come back from meeting the Council and he was still wearing his armor.

"Verner. Conrad Verner." Both men shake hands. "I'm guessing you're here for Mr. Thomas Anderson?"

"Yes, how is he?" Shepard asked.

"You know I'm right here." Neo shakes his head. "And I'm fine. Just have to sign out."

"Well, of course." Conrad said. "By the way Commander, I was hoping for a quick autograph if that's possible."

"Sure." Shepard makes a quick nod and Conrad activates his Omni-tool with an Omni-pen writing program. He signs the spot. "Are you sure you didn't trick me into signing me into donating my body for research if I die on the field?" Shepard joked.

"Of, course not." Conrad laughed. "Thank you, now I have to go. I have other patients waiting for me."

After the doctor left, Shepard approached Neo. "How's the leg."

"Fine, just can't do much for a week." Neo said while obviously displeased. "What happened when I was taken away?"

"Oh, nothing much." Shepard smiles. "The Council is grateful for my decision to save the Destiny Ascension. They were so grateful that they asked me to choose who I want to be as the first human Councilman for Citadel Space. Anderson or Udina. I chose Anderson."

"Dammit!" Neo exclaimed. "I would've loved to see the smug look on Udina's face. What about the Reaper threat? Are they taking that serious, too?"

"They said they are and Anderson is willing to help…" Shepard drifted off.

"But?" Neo tilts his head to the side.

"But, I'm not so sure how long they will take the threat seriously." Shepard said. "Knowing how quickly they are capable of changing their minds through the short sightedness of political pressure from their homeworlds, I don't know how long they will see that the Reaper threat is still out there."

"Well, at least we got Agent Morpheus and the Oracle to believe our story." Neo said.

"Let's not forget Councilor Anderson, too. But is it enough?" Shepard asked. "And if the Reapers invade, the Alliance and the Matrix alone won't be enough to stop them. We'll need the co-operation of the whole galaxy."

"Yeah, we do." Neo thought for a moment as if he was plotting a new plan.

"Well, I also came to tell you that we have to report back to the temporary human embassy. We have to follow up on some reports from what we've done." Shepard passed the information from his Omni-tool to Neo's.

"Thanks. I'll be over there, might just take longer than usual with the leg and all. Oh, by the way." Neo smiled. "Do you still have anything from that alternate universe about you on your Omni-tool?"

"Yes, why?" Shepard asked with a quizzing look.

"Just wanted to look up a name real quick, see what kind of guy this person was." Neo asked. "Just one name. Conrad Verner?"

Shepard looked up the name from the Oracle's gift and found what he was looking for. He transferred the info to Neo's Omni-tool and Neo nods approvingly. Shepard leaves the room while Neo looks at the alternate Commander Shepard world and read the information about the same man who checked out Neo's leg earlier. After observing the information, Neo just couldn't stop laughing as he limped out of the hospital and followed Shepard to the human embassy.

* * *

Days had passed since the attack on the Citadel. They held a ceremony by C-Sec Academy where the ground team was awarded the highest honors and the medals that came with it from the human, turian, asari, and salarian militaries. They even received medals and honors from the elcor, the hanar, and the volus as well. The ceremony was broadcasted live throughout Citadel space and a huge crowd turned up for the event.

When they called up their names, there were encouraging applauds from the crowds when the names of each individual was called. The biggest applauds came when they call for Shepard's name. So loud the shouts and clapping hands that Councilor Anderson wasn't able to announce the medals he was pinning on Shepard's uniform.

After the ceremony ended, Shepard was able to speak with both Admiral Hackett and Admiral Rael'Zorah. Hackett was the first to speak. "Commander. Congratulations on the honors. It was welled earned."

"Honestly, Admiral." Shepard spoke with a solemn tone. "The credibility should go to the men and women who died trying to save the Destiny Ascension and taking down Sovereign. They're the real heroes and I'm still angry that the Council is only giving little credibility towards the quarians. They helped too and suffered just as much as your fleet did."

"Don't focus on it too much, John." Hackett assured the upset man by calling him by his first name. "I want to introduce you to Admiral Rael'Zorah. He led the fleet of quarians to assist."

"Shepard. It's a pleasure to finally meet you." Rael said while extending his right three fingered hand.

Shepard shakes the quarian Admiral's hand and looks at him quizzically. "Zorah you say? You wouldn't happen to have a daughter named Tali, would you?"

Rael stood tall at the mention of her name. "Indeed. Tali is my daughter. I believe she has been traveling with you all this time while hunting down this rouge Spectre named Saren. And yes I have heard of you. My daughter often writes to me as much as she can and she says nothing but high appraisal for you. Thank you for keeping her safe." Rael's conversation didn't have the tone of a grateful father. His tone was more rigid, cold to be exact.

Rael's attention was drawn away when he saw the sight of Tali walking towards him. "If you will excuse me Admiral? Commander? I must speak to my daughter."

"Of course. Admiral." Hackett said.

"Admiral." Shepard also said.

Rael walked over to Tali. Shepard was watching the reunion between father and daughter, but it didn't seem very heartfelt. He was still maintaining a rigid posture while Tali seem to respond to his authoritarian presence. She wasn't kidding about her father being strict towards her. He hopes the geth data she'll provide will be enough not just to her people, but to her father.

Now Shepard turned his attention away from the two quarians and faced Hackett. "There is something I have been meaning to talk to you about, sir."

"About?" This was Hackett's only response.

"You remember when I released the Rachni queen back on Noveria?" Hackett nodded and Shepard continued. "Well, by the advice by the Oracle, I was told to request an audience to the Council on behalf of the Rachni queen. Naturally this didn't bode well with the Council, but I made a promise to her and so far her predictions have been accurate a usual. I was wondering if you have picked up anything unusual on the deep space scanners of anything strange or unusual before coming here. Anything that would resemble a Rachni?"

Hackett shakes his head. "Nothing of that matter, but I could keep an eye and an ear out for you."

"That will be great." Shepard smiles. "So, the newly appointed human Councilor has just invited all of us to his apartment for a post victory celebration. Will you be coming?"

Hackett shakes his head. "Tempting, but I must respectfully refuse. I have to return to Earth and give a full report on what had happened here. But you have fun, Shepard. God knows you and your team have earned it."

"Thank you, sir. I will." Shepard gave the gruff Admiral a sharp salute and got a sharp salute in return.

As Hackett walked away, so did Admiral Zorah. Tali walked up to Shepard.

"Hey. How was your talk with your father?" Shepard asked.

Tali didn't answer right away. He couldn't tell if she was happy or upset all due to her visor. Then she gave him a solemn answer. "It was fine, I suppose."

"Fine? I would imagine he would be impressed with the geth data we collected." Shepard said.

Tali bows her head and sighs. "You would think, but all he said was that it was an extraordinary gift for someone in my position and I was guaranteed to be accepted on any ship of my choosing. But…" She trailed off.

"But?" Shepard urged her to go on.

"But, it was the way he said it." Tali said. "Not as a father, but just like an Admiral. An Admiral talking to his underlings. An Admiral's daughter is all I'm ever going to be."

"Hey." Shepard places a hand on her shoulder. "Don't think that. Did you know what happened when we were on Ilos?" She looks up at him. "Hackett told me when he got Joker's signal, your father was insistent on aiding his fleet when he found out that you were involved with stopping Saren's invasion of the Citadel. Do you know what that tells me? It tells me that your father does care for you, but his duty and position has made him numb from the things normal people take for granted. I should know, it was just like that with my father."

"Did you ever wonder if your father ever loved you?" Tali retorted.

That response did hit a nerve. Shepard suddenly remembered his father for a brief second. He couldn't remember the last time he thought about his father. The only fond memories he could remember with his father was the summer holiday he spent with him on Shanxi after Shepard left the Matrix. Then he thought of that time again when he died defending a colony from batarian slavers.

Shepard simply told her. "Deep inside, I knew he did. I know your father does too."

Tali began to perk up. "I'm not sure if that is true, but thanks Shepard."

"Come on. There's a party at Anderson's apartment with our name on it." Shepard said.

She begins to walk away when she asks. "Aren't you coming?"

"I'll catch up to you in a minute." He said. Then Tali walk towards the rest of the ground team gathering around a cab terminal.

Shepard activates his Omni-tool and played one of his earliest recordings of his father speaking to him. "_Not to mention the amount of work you'll be doing around this place. Oh, I forgot to tell you. There is still some cleaning up to do from the First Contact War. You'll be doing some physical labor that will be good for building muscle and character. You'll even learn a piece of history and you'll see the results of what war looks like. The things you'll need before you go."_

Shepard just takes a deep breath and joins the rest of the crew.


End file.
